Really Bad Band Conditions

DX is getting really tough now for some reason. I wonder if it has anything to do with the horrible weather here in the US? I was barely able to work KP4SJ in Puerto Rico last night on 20 meters and today the bands are practically "dead". It's going to be a real challenge to pull another long distance station out of the ionosphere this evening.

Four Months of DX - 120 Days!

I reached another milestone last night when I made a contact with HP1/ IQ6CC. He marks another highlight in my quest to work a DX station every day. Sergio was in Panama and although not a strong signal at the time, was easily workable as the band became more stable, and easier to work just past the "midnight hour". The only other station I've worked in Panama (HP1/ IZ6BRN) was an Italian engineer working on the expansion of the current "Panama Canal". This country in Central America is a rare contact!

This is an interesting "Special Event Station" highlighting the "Italian Carabinieri". The police force in Italy is much more than just "traffic cops". They're composed of a large group of specialists that include a variety of different law enforcement personnel. They include the military police and even peace keeping forces.

The Special Event Station that I worked were highlighting the loss of life in an unfortunate tragedy in Iraq a few years ago. On November 12, 2003 a tanker truck rigged with explosives killed 28 people and injured 100 in the city of Nasiriyah which is just south of Baghdad.

My heart goes out to the 13 Italian Carabinieri who were killed in this incident! 

I've found it rather amazing that the 30 meter band is so generous to me. I've been able to work a station towards South America, the Caribbean, and the Leeward Islands practically every evening!

I have no idea how long this DX streak will last but with the summer months approaching, I think the chances are good for continued success.

Difficult Contacts at 5,000 Miles

The propagation forecast for yesterday was "very poor". The solar flux was 135, the A index was 12 and rising, and the K index was 4 and rising. Sunspots were 146. But despite the dismal expectations, I worked a station at better than 5,000 miles. I can't logically explain it but I easily worked YO3JW in Romania for the second time in a few weeks. Later, I was up again with back pain; and worked TM75FOC for the second time in France.

Romania has the largest population of Brown Bears in Europe. This one is really a beauty!

France is known for good wine. Benjamin Franklin once said: "Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance."  Yes....and I like the taste of it too.

Marilyn and I played Bridge again this morning with a local group. My partner and I were forced into bidding "six". We made a "slam" and it put me in first place. I won four bucks!

Tomorrow my brother and I will drive to the Veterans Hospital for another MRI scan. This time they will inject dye into me to see the disc and nerve more clearly.

It's been six weeks now since I started having back problems, and fortunately, I'm feeling a little better. I'm able to walk short distances now without using the wheelchair. I'm still in pain but it's now more manageable. I should know the results in a few days.

Special Event Station in Germany DR20CFT

We attended the monthly meeting of The Grandparents Bridge Club last night, so I was not on the air. Our group meets at the University of Charleston. We're an older crowd, and as a matter of fact, and as the title suggests, membership requires that you be a "Grandparent". I was President of the group two years ago. Bridge can be a challenging game. We play "social bridge" which, as the title suggests, is as much "social" as it is serious. Dinner is served beforehand, and we had around 50 members playing last night.

Despite poor conditions I worked two DX stations today The first was in Germany (DR20CFT) and the second on the Island of Sardinia.

We've worked before (IS0GQX) but it's always nice to put another Island in the log book. Sardinia is off the coast of Italy. Both Italy and Germany are familiar places in my log book. I've now worked Italy 33 times and Germany 35 times. 

WOW--What an Unusual Antenna

I remembered this call sign the instant I worked him and a quick search of the log book confirmed the contact back on August 7th, 2008. I remembered it clearly because, at that time, I was still using "paper cards" and I was the proud owner of a new Icom 703. I was also rejoicing because I was able to work DX with my "limited space" Isotron antenna. Bob and exchanged cards and I also got a nice e-mail from him:

Hi John,

Thanks for the QSO (in the log OK) and thanks for your email. You're right - I have worked guys with indoor dipoles, indoor yagis, flagpoles, etc but never an 18inch indoor antenna! Yet your signal was perfectly copiable and heard through the pileup, so well done! Believe it or not, I drove through Charleston, WV many years ago, but my memory of it has faded (that happens nowadays!).

73 Bob MD0CCE

As I've noted several times before,  I've always lived in places with demanding "antenna restrictions". My entire "ham radio life" has been limited to using Stealth antennas and despite those hindrances, I've always enjoyed this hobby immensely and find operating this mode to be very satisfying. 

Bob had no idea I was using 3 watts of power yesterday and that I was using an indoor random wire for an antenna. I was only one of many stations in the bee hive. 

I'll e-mail Bob today with the good news. 

I was surprised at working three DX stations yesterday because the "solar propagation" is just terrible today: The solar flux is only 136, the A index is 9 but steady, the K index is 5 and rising, and the sunspot numbers are 102. Propagation for the 30 meter band is "very poor". 

Rather amusingly, I've also been able to work two other stations. Of course, FG5FR is always there in Guadeloupe and I also worked EA6NB in the Baleric Islands of Spain. 

This afternoon I've worked two more "First Class Operators Club" stations. TM75FOC was in France, and M0RSE was in England. In a stroke of luck, I also worked OT4A in Austria. 

Special Event Station in France TM35KOP

This daily DX catch marks my 116th for the year.

This French Special Events Station (TM35KOP) was an "easy" catch just after 0000 hours GMT. 

They're celebrating 35 years of activity! 

I've thought several times, since the beginning of the year, that I would "give up" my string of DX contacts and return to the air "only when I felt like it"; but I just can't ignore the temptation to add "just one more day" to my list of daily long distance radio contacts.

There's been a few "gaps" in this string. Once when I traveled to New York, and another when I traveled to the Outer Banks of North Carolina; but every day I've been at home, since the beginning of the year, I've been able to work at least one DX station. There have been days when I worked a variety of stations; and it's been much easier than I would have ever thought imaginable.

Yesterday I worked 9 different stations:

Special Event Station in Nicaragua H70ORO

I worked several stations this evening but my highlight was a Special Event Station (H70ORO) in Managua Nicaragua. They're celebrating the 100th  Anniversary of writer, poet, and novelist Ruben Darios. This afternoon was my 14th contact into Nicaragua ; but this station,  is one of only three different stations I've ever worked here.

Sometimes I think I'm developing a "sixth sense" when it comes to operators, transmitters, and keys. Although this was a totally new call sign to me, it seemed uncannily familiar in some strange way. Here's my explanation:

The last dozen contacts I've made with Nicaragua have been with YN9SU. He's saved my hide several times when the bands have been terrible and I've tried to work a DX station. The rhythm, speed, the chirp of the transmitter, and the buttery smooth sound of the key leads me to believe only one thing.

It appears to me that H70ORO and YN9SU are the same operator! The design of both web pages are very similar also. To me, they both seem to have the same fingerprints on them.

Make sure to click on the links and see if you come to the same conclusion.

BTW/ Make sure to look at the H70ORO site carefully. At the very bottom of the page, I found a very amusing little dog that loves to play "chase" with a little red ball. You can reward him with a treat when he fetches the ball back to you.