This weekend was a great radio weekend for me. I accomplished a few things that have really opened my eyes and has taken away some of the worry / fear I had about what all I would truly be able to accomplish with my little radio and dipole setup.
It can be a little daunting as someone new starting out to read about and see all these big fancy radios, huge monstrous antennas and all this talk about power and the amps they have.
Makes you wonder if they need all that then what possibly am I going to be able to accomplish with a meager 100w radio and simple wire dipole antenna I made and strung up with no precision at all.
Well… let me tell you, some really neat things are possible. You can make some far away contacts with very little.
This weekend I managed to get my first DX station. I “thought” my first DX station was Germany, but apparently the Hawaii station I worked shortly before is considered a DX station as well. I thought DX stations were basically other countries, so I didn’t think Hawaii counted as anything but a state.
Saturday morning UTC: 13:10am (8/27/2011) I made contact with KH6CE in Honolulu, Hawaii on 40m, 7.180. Approximately 4088 miles away from Lafayette, Louisiana.
Saturday night UTC: 01:12 (8/28/2011) I made contact with DK3FW in Pattensen, Germany on 40m. Approximately 5054 miles away from Lafayette, Louisiana.
Sunday morning UTC: 12:17 (8/28/2011) I made contact with KH6LC in Keaau, Hawaii on 40m. Approximately 3965 miles away from Lafayette, Louisiana.
Sunday evening UTC: 22:36 (8/28/2011) I made contact with EF1DFP in Spain on 20m. Approximately 4822 miles away from Lafayette, LA.
Sunday evening UTC: 23:04 (8/28/2011) I made contact with OE3DIA in Vienna, Austria on 20m. Approximately 5448 miles away from Lafayette, LA.
I also got some new states over the weekend to go towards my WAS award; Montana, North Dakota, Hawaii, Michigan, South Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Iowa.
Now I just need QSL cards for all these places! Over 60 contacts and QSL cards sent out by me so far and yet I have only received one to date. Got about 6 confirmed via LOTW however so thats good. Waiting on QSL cards takes a lot of patience apparently.
Regardless, great weekend on the radio. Learned a lot. And my interest is even more peaked now then it has ever been since making some DX contacts.
Absolutely amazing hobby with a lifetime of challenges and awards to work towards.
73,
Dane – W5DLD