Train Wreck

I've been very busy attending family gatherings the last few weeks. Most of the of the time has been "on the road" between West Virginia, Philadelphia, New York, and Cincinnati. Families are an important part of life and I've enjoyed the time with the relatives. Among the several events I've attended were two nice weddings. Hopefully, I'll return to my radio routine (especially at sunrise and sunset) and make some more DX contacts.

Today, I'm "out on the bike", trying to take advantage of a really nice sunny day and getting used to a new set of tires. I've had an unusually bad spell with "flats" this season, and purchased tires with "Kevlar" to eliminate this problem. These tires are extremely durable and should "wear like iron". In essence, they should be almost "bullet proof".

As I rode over the bridge towards the railroad that runs the length of the valley, I came onto an unexpected coal train derailment. Wow.....what a mess. There's probably a dozen coal cars scattered along this road. A few of them, if not stopped by a few large trees, would have ended up in the yards (or houses) of those living next to the railroad.

I'm glad these new tires are on the bike. They’re being tested as I ride through the spilled coal, the heavy equipment, and the debris in the road.  

Brazil PT7ZT

Despite good propagation this evening, I wasn't hearing anything on the CW portion of the band. A quick look on the DX Cluster quickly showed this station in Eusebio, Brazil using the SSB mode. Carlos (PT7ZT) was working many stations in the US but I was hearing very few. I did however, hear him quite plainly when he said those magic words "QRP only--QRP only".

I don't hear this very often, so I was very happy when he returned my call sign on my first attempt. John  in West Virginia your 5x7 into Brazil.

Thank you Carlos for taking the time to listen for the small guys running QRP.

A Slow (QRP) Boat Heading Home

I got these two "cards" from the E-QSL site this afternoon. As you can see, this was another 2xQRP contact.  I worked this station back in May, while Oleg (UR5FA/MM) was steaming from South America to the Ukraine. (see previous post)

I felt incredibly lucky to work him "twice" (within two different days)  while in the same approximate area. (Grid square GK 57 and GK 91). The black square is where his Yeasu FT-817 ND @ 5 watts with a long wire stretched among the rigging.

This is a regularly scheduled "trip" which he makes between the Ukraine and South America. I'm sure someone will "spot" him on the DX Clusters when he's within QRP range of North America.(on his next trip)  I was VERY happy to get these cards today. I sent him one of my "custom" cards in return.

A Coast to Coast QRP Contact

Now THIS....is the way to operate QRP !!

This evening I worked KE7LKW in White Salmon Washington. (the state) I'm not sure Stewart was in this exact mode but definitely QRP. He was VERY difficult to copy, but finally got it on the high peaks after several attempts.  2xQRP contacts like this is what it's all about.....
Stewart is NAQCC member # 1975.

Here's a picture of his camping friend:

From a "follow-up" e-mail I sent....Stewart was using a K3, 5 watts, and a dipole! Elevation of a little over 700 feet! A great contact in my book....

YV5HUJ Venezuela

I've been away again, for about a week, so this evening when I scanned the 20 meter band, I was happy to work YV5HUJ in Caracas, Venezuela. Although only a few thousand miles distance, I'm always happy to work another station in South America.

BTW/ this call is a nightmare for CW......really tuff for me to get it right but was finally successful after several attempts. Here's a view of the downtown section of Caracas:

Edwin (YV5HUJ) does a lot of QRP but this evening he was using about 90 watts. He is a member of the North American CW QRP Club (NAQCC) of which I am also a member. Edwin is NAQCC # 4881. On a follow up e-mail, he said that he was hearing me quite clearly with my 5 watts of power.

CT1BQH Portugal

Another DX station this evening. Carlos (CT1BQH) was finishing a QSO with another station and I decided to try my luck again. Another congratulations from him about my QRP status as he was running about 90 watts. Carlos was sending much faster than I'm comfortable with, but slowed it down enough for a short conversation. I really appreciated this.....

SM7ZDI Sweden

It was a real joy to work Vic (SM7ZDI) in Sweden this afternoon. We actually took a few minutes to chat. He congratulated my on my indoor Isotron antenna and my 5 watts of power. Vic is running 250 watts into a Windom antenna. (which by the way, is an excellent antenna for DX).

I've desperately tried to work YU2VZ (I've worked him before) He can tell I'm there but can't pull me out of the noise. I'm persistent tho....He's on the same frequency, at the same time, every evening looking for SKCC #'s. I just can't give up on trying again.