10m CW

bunged out a CQ

answered by 7q7bp, Joe, and my 1st contact into Malawi on any band

not a rag chew as there was QSB, but we exchanged actual RST, pwr and ant etc.

such a pleasant change from the usual DX 599 exchange.

when the qso ended there were several stations who called, seeking the 7q7 but Joe just moved on, leaving the frequency for me.(though I did hold back to leave him to answer if he wanted to.)

definitely my favourite way of filling a slot in my log!

Blimey!  more spots than an unwashed teenager!

Very interesting article on chasing DX slots when you don't have a massive station.

http://qrznow.com/25-dxing-tips-little-guy/

Callsign	160	80	60	40	30	20	17	15	12	10	6	4	2	70	23	13	Total	Slots
MI0OIM	0	41	4	69	31	122	61	48	55	97	0	0	5	1	0	0	150	534

So, this morning's contact on 40m with VK9DLX on Lord Howe Island marks a threshold as my 150th DXCC worked.

next big step will be 100 on 10m. 

bring it on!!

Propogation is playing it's silly tricks again.

right now, 40m is as dead as Hector

a few inter G contacts but nothing any further an nothing that isn't a strain to hear

and yet an hour ago I contacted the DXpedition on Lord Howe Island on the far side of Australia.

What is THAT about!?

Propogation confuses me.

OK, its the summer and things are flat.

but why can I contact Brazil in the depth of winter?

surely its summer THERE?

in the last month across the bands things have been quiet, with not much more than Europe and the far north of Africa reaching my far western European QTH.  and yet twice on 40m I've been shocked, when calling CQ on a very lonely 40m to have California K6SIK(in the afternoon) and then Australia VK3XUF (early morning) answer my call.

I'm GRATEFUL, but confused.

Ah well, this is what keeps it interesting....

its like you can buy fish in a supermarket.  you know what you'll get, and how much it'll cost, and yet lots of folk still go down to the waters edge and drop a line in there just to see what takes a bite.

Happy New Year!!


Ok, lets have a total check:

Callsign	160	80	60	40	30	20	17	15	12	10	6	4	2	70	23	13	Total	Slots
MI0OIM	0	33	4	50	25	115	55	46	51	71	0	0	5	1	0	0	136	456

 Admittedly there is a mistake. 

40m (and the total) should be one less as I later discovered that the Papua New Guinea was a mistake and I haven't worked out how to take it off clublog without wiping the whole thing and I'm paranoid about that!!

Last night I got a new US state (Idaho) which brings me to only Alaska, Kansas, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota & Wyoming to get.

This year I've put up a long wire and a windom, which both came down in the storm last week. I haven't had a chance to get them back up again so I'm back to the old faithful G5RV jr.  on 20m it is EXCELLENT so I'm not complaining,  I did get the wire to make a horizontal loop but now that I've done the calculations, my garden isn't big enough to make an 80m loop so I'll save the wire for some other project that I likely won't finish!!

Plans for 2014?

get the windom and long wire back in action, get a few more of those missing US states and improve my CW listening.

I've used PSK31 & RTTY, as well as CW and SSB.  maybe a few new modes..... AM on HF?  some other digimodes?  who knows?

Happy new year!!