16 Sep

Station Automation

Are you still switching antennas manually? Or even worse – literally unplugging and plugging coaxial cables at the radio antenna socket when changing the band?Seriously?Without any doubt, an automatic antenna switch is the most used accessory in the shack. And an absolute must.For over a...
16 Sep

Good luck 6O3T team!

It has been exactly a week since a group of mostly Italian amateurs landed in Hargeisa, Somalia. They were expected to hit the airwaves shortly upon arrival, but as I type this, they are still waiting for customs clearance of 500kg of radio equipment. One...
16 Sep

Zone 41

Romeo Stepanenko was the most infamous DXpeditioner of all times. Spanning the years 1989 to 1996, this Ukrainian born radio operator managed to activate a number of extremely rare DX countries, some of which have been off air for decades. The list is long: Myanmar,...
12 Sep

Unstoppable growth

[BY1PK QSL card from 1989]I remember it like it was yesterday: March 1982, 21Mhz, Morse, calling BY1PK. The first and only Chinese station on air, open to foreign contacts.I couldn't make it through: the pileup was massive and the Chinese CW operator was doing it...
11 Sep

Only 3 months to go

On December 16 it will be history in the making: two Australian amateurs will receive a message from DXing: “Congratulations, you’ve won the $6,300 radio! Please advise your delivery address!” And on December 16, two brand new radios will make their way to two amazingly...
11 Sep

The smudge

My first encounter with 6m smudge was in March this year. The band was wide open to Japan - a typical early night opening over the equator. Each decoding pass yielding 20, 30, or more callers.But all of a sudden, within a few minutes, WSJT-X...
10 Sep

Talking about 6 meters

When 6m opens, it’s a hailstorm. Here is a spectrum snapshot of some massive signals from Japan, received on Norfolk.JK1UNZ massive +29. JH7MEV +39 dB. That is close to 60dB over the noise floor.Actually, probably even more because this WSJTx’s S/N limit in 3KHz bandwidth.The...
10 Sep

Tread your own path

“What a legend!” is probably the most overused cliché of our day and age. In order to please and conform, we've sacrificed meritocracy for the sake of political correctness. We no longer respect grey hair and wisdom which comes with maturity; instead, we are mesmerised...
9 Sep

Save 40m CW

Not long ago, we talked here about the need to preserve 40m CW band. The topic is hot, not just in Australia but in our Pacific region.Here is a link to a project initiated by a group of Australian operators with their take on the...
9 Sep

It’s all in the attitude

When it was built, Kern’s Pyramid Nano was the most precise sub micron five axis milling machine in the world. It is a marvel of mechanical, hydraulic and electrical engineering. Our ‘Pyno’ was originally custom built for Rolex Switzerland, but the machine was more of...
9 Sep

The beauty of the chase

There is something magical in the fact that for a DX chaser, there is always something to chase. You can get up at 3 o’clock in the morning or turn the radio on at midday - there is a DX out there waiting for you.For...
6 Sep

IARU region 1 September VHF contest

Arguably, to all 144MHz aficionados, this is the most important contest of the year. A contest that attracts thousands of participants all over Europe. The high power multi op category is the pinnacle of madness: dozens of teams climbing the mountain peaks, erecting multiple antenna...
6 Sep

The living legend

This morning, my CQ was answered by N7RO. Dick is a legend. He started offering a QSL service to dx stations in 1957 and to this day, he still serves the ham community with the same gusto. Last year he mailed out his one millionth...
6 Sep

Promoting relentlessly

Early morning starts with a visit to 10m band, FT8. Putting out a CQ call, with antenna pointing to north America results in a steady wave of callers. Seeing a sea of callers flooding the decoding window is mesmerising. Yet what really impressed me is...
5 Sep

Is two Watts enough?

This is just funny. Rarotonga is around 3500km from Norfolk, with the path entirely over salt water.I bumped into E51WLG on 28 MHz - Thomas, N2WLG holidaying on South Cook Island, running an IC-7300 into a beach vertical.Loud like a bell. A couple of clicks...
4 Sep

You’ve gotta love 6m band!

Literally, as I type this, I am enjoying numerous decodes of XE2YWH from Mexico. He is the only signal on the band, calling CQ while beaming in our direction.What we call a pipeline opening. Jose is a 6m fanatic, also active on GreenCube satellite. I...
2 Sep

Your footsteps are everywhere!

Humans cheat. Research tells us that on average, around 20% of men are unfaithful to their spouse, as compared to 13% of women. And if we can justify cheating and lying to those who are closest to us, there is really no moral or social...
30 Aug

SuperFox is not a magic bullet

On day one of Jarvis island activation, observing the rate and operating technique, it has become apparent that SuperFox mode is not in any way superior to Fox/Hound or the MSHV version of FT8.The logging rate was rather average, and with decoding, there was no...
28 Aug

VK0DS

Yesterday I reached out to Dave, VK0DS on Antarctica. Dave is super active making thousands of chasers happy. Regardless of band and mode, VK0 is a great catch. Would it be possible to snatch him on 6m? Here is his reply:"Hi Nick, no luck on...

Station Automation

Are you still switching antennas manually? Or even worse – literally unplugging and plugging coaxial cables at the radio antenna...

Good luck 6O3T team!

It has been exactly a week since a group of mostly Italian amateurs landed in Hargeisa, Somalia. They were expected...

Zone 41

Romeo Stepanenko was the most infamous DXpeditioner of all times. Spanning the years 1989 to 1996, this Ukrainian born radio...

Unstoppable growth

[BY1PK QSL card from 1989]I remember it like it was yesterday: March 1982, 21Mhz, Morse, calling BY1PK. The first and...

Only 3 months to go

On December 16 it will be history in the making: two Australian amateurs will receive a message from DXing: “Congratulations,...

The smudge

My first encounter with 6m smudge was in March this year. The band was wide open to Japan - a...

Talking about 6 meters

When 6m opens, it’s a hailstorm. Here is a spectrum snapshot of some massive signals from Japan, received on Norfolk.JK1UNZ...

Tread your own path

“What a legend!” is probably the most overused cliché of our day and age. In order to please and conform,...

Save 40m CW

Not long ago, we talked here about the need to preserve 40m CW band. The topic is hot, not just...

It’s all in the attitude

When it was built, Kern’s Pyramid Nano was the most precise sub micron five axis milling machine in the world....

The beauty of the chase

There is something magical in the fact that for a DX chaser, there is always something to chase. You can...

IARU region 1 September VHF contest

Arguably, to all 144MHz aficionados, this is the most important contest of the year. A contest that attracts thousands of...

The living legend

This morning, my CQ was answered by N7RO. Dick is a legend. He started offering a QSL service to dx...

Promoting relentlessly

Early morning starts with a visit to 10m band, FT8. Putting out a CQ call, with antenna pointing to north...

Is two Watts enough?

This is just funny. Rarotonga is around 3500km from Norfolk, with the path entirely over salt water.I bumped into E51WLG...

You’ve gotta love 6m band!

Literally, as I type this, I am enjoying numerous decodes of XE2YWH from Mexico. He is the only signal on...

Your footsteps are everywhere!

Humans cheat. Research tells us that on average, around 20% of men are unfaithful to their spouse, as compared to...

SuperFox is not a magic bullet

On day one of Jarvis island activation, observing the rate and operating technique, it has become apparent that SuperFox mode...

VK0DS

Yesterday I reached out to Dave, VK0DS on Antarctica. Dave is super active making thousands of chasers happy. Regardless of...

Five reasons why you should think twice before getting seriously involved in ham radio

1. Competitive, high performance equipment is expensive.Surely, you can have heaps of fun making contacts with a $300 second hand...