The temperature has taken a cold turn here in the valley today which meant that I would "tune around" again on the 10 meter band once more. It's much too cold to be outside.
This contact with ZD8X on Ascension Island marks my second new DX country in just a few days.
Ascension Island is literally"in the middle of nowhere" between South America and Africa in the Atlantic Ocean. It's primarily a communications hub for several countries and was a relay station for the BBC in it's heyday. St Helena is in this general area and the place Napoleon spent his last days in exile.
It took me several attempts to work this station at 5,362 miles. There was quite a "pile up" and I was surprised to hear my call sign repeated back to me with the customary 599 report.
6 comments:
Good morning John, congrats on breaking the pileup. Very nice contact into a very rare place.
Mike
Hello Mike,
Thank You...I was very surprised myself. Hihi
I visited Ascension Island on my way to St Helena in 1999. It's essentially an antenna farm and military base in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There are no permanent residents as far as I know, just RAF and USAF personnel stationed there.
Nice contact!
Julian, G4ILO
Hello Julian,
It's been a few years but I used to listen to the "only AM radio stations" on St Helena via the internet. Also enjoyed the "yearly broadcast" from there also.
I felt fortunate to work Ascension Island in that general vicinity. There's some videos on You Tube of airplanes landing on this island with the big "hump" in the middle of the runway.
I bet St Helena was an interesting place to visit?
Great catch, John! It's always a good feeling to break a pile-up!
Hello Phil,
Especially so with a random wire and three watts of power! Hi Hi
Hope you get settled soon with your new station.
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