Can You Work QRP DX Every Day?

I got a nice response from John Shannon K3WWP yesterday. He writes about his contacts, and happenings in life, on his website every day. I enjoy reading it and find his website to be one of the most inspirational on the web. John is co-founder of the NAQCC Club. I've been a member of this club for several years, and of all those I belong to, like it the best of all. (hint)

I had written to him about my luck with working DX QRP, with a minimum QRP radio, and my minimum "random wire antenna. We both agree, that given the time, QRP DX is possible almost every single day.

In the year 2000, John worked 301 days of DX with 2,269 DX QSO's with 149 different countries.

I've also been receiving nice complements from several other bloggers. The QRP CW community is a congenial group of Morse Code communicators from many different  parts of the world. I appreciate all of their encouragement, advice, and motivation.

Last night I worked two DX stations for the continuation of my DX streak. One of them was a busy contact in Bermuda. I was able to work VP9FOC , despite many other stations in the hive. Soon afterwards I worked OM3SX in Slovakia.

I was using the QRZCQ Cluster. I particularly like being able to "spot" my contacts here and adding the additional QRP-3W in the remarks section.
 

Moving Slowly Along

Not much to report today except two contacts with stations I've worked previously in Panama and Cuba. I worked HP1/IQ6CC and CO8LY .

We've been getting heavy rains here in the evening and early morning hours. The weather seems to be going absolutely "nuts". The tornado in Oklahoma has caused an estimated $2 billion of damage.  I fear we've become the slow cooking frog in a pot of boiling water.

I'm waiting for the test result from the VA Hospital. I hope to hear something today. This weekend will be a busy time.  There's a big music festival in Charleston and we have relatives coming to visit. Several of them are musicians.

The  Vandalia Gathering  is always a lot of fun but it would be much too difficult to wander around the grounds due to my limited walking ability. I'll stay at home and chat with the relatives.

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.