Monday, December 14, 2009

DX on 20m

It doesn't take much to liven up the HF bands. An SSN of 14 and a flux of 76 and I heard (and worked) several US stations and an Indonesian.

I was monitoring on 14.070 with KComm's PSK Browser open and saw that I was decoding YC1FWO from Depok in Indonesia. I double-clicked on his call to put myself on his frequency. During the previous contact he mentioned that he was running 50W so I increased my power to match, and when he finished the QSO I called him. He came right back and we had a solid contact, my first on PSK31 with Indonesia. (I worked the country once before, a year ago, on CW during the CQ WW contest.)

Listening again after that contact was over I saw someone's station details scroll by and noted that they were using an Elecraft K3 like I was. It took a little while to get Paul NF8J from Alto, Michigan in the log. The first time I called, he replied to a German station whom I couldn't hear. I waited on frequency but an Italian, who possibly couldn't hear Paul, kept calling CQ on top of him. When he signed with the German I waited a little while for the other station to send his final goodbyes and then called. Another Italian station then called me! I called again and this time Paul came back to me and we had a nice contact that didn't just consist of macro exchanges.

A bit later on I heard Carl K4RH from Murfreesboro, Tennessee calling CQ DX. Again, the first time I called him he returned to someone else. While he was half way through sending their signal report a Spanish station kept calling him! When he finished the contact I called again. Carl heard the signal from my attic dipole and a short but solid contact was completed. I think Tennessee is a fairly rare state so I was pleased to work him.

4 comments:

  1. Nice! Excellent work from your attic dipole!
    All the fun happens when I am not at the radio or in the office! I do have remote control working, so next time I will be waiting! :-)
    73

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  2. Fantastic array of contacts. I have never worked that far on my 5W and Par End Fedz. Missed that opening this afternoon as I was buying Bradley's Christmas presents!! 73 Adam

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  3. I just missed ZR6LLS which was decoded by my station and only 4 others at 1750z while I was away from the radio. Things are definitely looking up!

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  4. Hello Julian, great job. Now I am disappointed I put off the rig this afternoon. Your a lucky man. 73 Paul

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