CQ WW WPX (SSB)

The past weekend was again the CQ WW WPX in SSB.

A 48 hour during Contest only in phone.The CQ Contests are always very busy...also again this

one.The propagation was before the contest sometimes very good...

I started at 5:15 UTC.I didn't start earlier because we as Novice have only a little space at the 40M band to operate on and the 10 and 20M bands are closed during the night.

The 20M band was already open when i started.Did work 14 stations within the 20 minutes.After that i went to the 40M band,worked the stations i could and back to the 20M.

Around 6:55 i did hear a AH6 station very low....pointed my beam towards the Nordpole and there she was...AH6NF.After calling a few minutes i could write her in my log.

Putting the beam back to the East i could hear VK4WIP very clear.One call and also he's logged.

Few minutes later i could also log VK4KW.At my side,the strongest from the VK's,as i could hear him the whole weekend and also in the evening.

Sometimes i also went over the 10M band,to look if the band showed some openings...at 8:22 i could log the first.That was OT5A from belgium followed by OR0A.Few minutes later i could log HZ1FS who really was 5/9 at that moment.He was for that time the last one i did hear on the 10M band....Back to the 20M again.

Around 12:30 i listened again at the 10M band and now it was wide open.Many stations calling from SA and AF.Couldn't work them all,but still 33 stations logged.Strange was that i could work s someone over 11.000Km...when a station at 8.000Km couldn't hear me.

Sunday morning i managed to work also VK6NC on 10M.Also i got A61ZX in my log on 10 and 20M.He was very strong both times.

Here's an eQSL card from one of the SA stations i could work.LU5FF,Javi.

Also Dov was active in the contest.Managed to work him after calling several minutes.If Dov is on....everyone wants to work 4Z4DX....he told us that he will be in Nepal within 3 weeks.

My Goal is always to try to beat my own score of the year before.

Last year i logged 432 Qso's with 325 Multies....total of 296.075 Points.

For me,as just a small station with 3 bands and 25 Watts limited...not easy.

But...you never find out if you don't try,hi.

Sunday at 22:38 i logged QSO number 450...

Total Multies are.. 357...

Total of 320.229 Points....

Goal succeed :)

For my results is SH5 analyser:http://www.pd7bz.nl/2011%20CQ-WPX-SSB%20PD7BZ/

My last QSO's where on the 40M band.After that i put the TRX back on the 20M band and was very surprised that it was still wide open to NA.Some signals were still 5/9....

Hope this means that the propagation will stay and we will/can enjoy the DX again the whole day...

BARTG RTTY and Russian DX

The last weekend was again one with two contest i wanted to join in.

The BARTG HF RTTY started at 02:00 UTC Saturday morning and is a 48 hours contest.

The Russian DX started at 12:00 UTC Saturday and is a 24 hours contest.

First i started in the BARTG RTTY.Looked around 4:00 UTC at 40M...but only got around 15 qso's logged in one hour time.Just went to sleep for 2 hours and did have a look again.I was suprised that the 20M band was open already so i started there.As a Novice HAM we are just allowed to use three bands on HF.The 10 , 20 and 40M band.During the contest i look so now and then on the other bands for Multies.Also on 10M....as we never know if it's opens up again.

I'm happy with the DX i could work and also was happy to work all the 6 continents,as that means extra points as well.Nice one was also when i saw 3A2MW coming back after my CQ call.

Got 314 QSO's and 152604 points.

Results by SH5 analyzer: http://www.pd7bz.nl/2011%20BARTG-RTTY/

See here some eQSL's i got right after the Contest

Saturday at 12:30 UTC i joined in the Russian DX Contest as well.I did SSB and CW.It's good to have both,because this way i worked more different Oblasts.I worked some in CW that i didn't hear in SSB at all.Worked total of 259 QSO's in mixed mode.Totally of 180744 points.

This is much more then i had in 2010...so very happy.

Results by SH5 analyzer: http://www.pd7bz.nl/2011%20RDXC/

So the weekend was very well for me.Total of the contest brought me to 573 QSO's in two days time.Worked all continents in RTTY and some very nice DXCC's as well.Very nice to see also alot of the same OM's joining in every week.Also very strange propagation...working ON,G,OZ and DL on 20M....and they where really strong signals.

10 Meter openings

The 10 Meter band was this year already open a few times.I was able to work some nice DXCC's in several modes.Some of them are also new for me on this band.

Today i managed to work Agus,YB1ALL,on PKS63.A few weeks before i also coult get him in CW already.

Two days ago,on the 15th,i was able to work Bob,VP8LP,for the first time this year on 10M SSB again.The rst i got was just 4/4....but still 100% QSO.

Bob was here real 5/7 with QSB.I stayed a little at his frequenty listening to him and about 30 minutes later he was gone.I coult hear Bob saying that he had the whole morning good propagation to Europe.

After that i was looking over the band and did hear a signal on PSK31...That was VU2SWS Miss Sarla.She was strong here and i also managed to work her.New DXCC on 10M in PSK31 as well for me.

Between the 7th and 11th of March,t

he band was wide open.I managed to work:

* in SSB: VU2DSI , VK6XC , VK6ANC , CX2DK , PY2OE , D2AM , VK8NSB , YB3OX , 9M2IDJ ,

TJ3AY , BD8ASG , UK8OM , VP8LP and HZ1DG

* in CW: 4X/K2LS , LU7HN , 7Z1HL , YB1ALL , 3B8FQ , MD0CCE , E21EJC , BA8AG , BA8BA ,

4K9W , 6W2SC , D2SG , 9J2BO , 4Z5RT , A45XR , 5N7M

During the ARRL DX SSB i was also able to work one NA station,that was W4SVO from Florida.

Propagation was very good,but i also had much QRM on the band.It was mostly S8-9.

So you can see how good the prop was to NA...W4SVO was real 5/9 that time.

The 10 Meter band is a very nice band for DXing.Many HAM's don't like it.....

I think it's because it's not always easy to get a QSO on 10M.

For me the 10M band is the nicest...when there are openings ofcourse.

This morning there where spots of KH7Y,Hawai.I coult hear him very low...too low to try.

One week ago KH2 (Guam) was also strong on 10M in CW.Would be 559 here,but too big pileup.

I really hope that the propagation increases and that the 10M band will be open more and more.

Also during the contest in the weekends....

This weekend is the BARTG RTTY Contest and also the Russian DX (CW+SSB).

Hoping that the Propagation Gods are also good for us this weekend :-)