I am not a contest op nor will I ever be one. I tried my hand at working a few stations in the 2022 ARRL DX contest. Not properly reading the exchange required and then not paying attention to the other stations when they asked for the required info, created confusion. (Since I am running 25 watts into an attic antenna, when I hear a question mark during a contest, I assume they are asking for a repeat.) What got my attention was when one station dropped down from 30 WPM to ask for my state when I realized something was not right. I was ready to pull the plug as I felt no one could hear me, but when I started sending the correct information my success rate improved.
I guess in the future during big contest weekends I should head to the WARC Bands.
Well, there is DX and there is DX. When you run low power and an attic antenna there is a range that one can expect to work other stations. In that range there are DX entities. In my case those entities are not very rare but are rewarding to work. Working far off rare entities is impossible with my working conditions. Well not really. The other morning, I worked a VK9 station (Norfolk Island in the South Pacific). I was running 15 wats on 40 meter CW with my 55 foot attic doublet (bent to fit) under a very wet roof. Yes, band conditions were good, and the other guy was an excellent op with a FB station. But, I hope I had something to do with making the contact.
Well, the HW-16 is salvageable (I think). However, I returned the unit as I purchased a working radio not a restoration project. My search for “old stuff ” has ended or at least is on hiatus. I have deleted all my saved searches on eBay, but I did not delete my logon – yet. Having old tube radios shipped is a thing of the past.
FEDEX, after a long delay, destroyed the radio. What a sin! It was a good looking unit and due to a shippers negligence it is a mess. Looking at the outside of the box it is surprising it still looks like a radio.
After two failed attempts to out bid others on ebay I said I would never bid on an item again. (Not only was I outbid on two bug keys, but I was left in the dust!). Well, I did. For the longest time I wanted to have operational “boat anchor” gear. Knowing my knowledge and energy levels to refurbish and maintain the type of gear I would like to put on the air along with restriction due to my operating environment, I aimed low. I won the bid for an HW-16. I hope the pictures and description were close to accurate, because if I won than others saw something I did not see. The HW-16 is too new for what I would like to operate, but it is what I believe I can handle.
Is a contact conformation more than a few KB’s in a data file? I have been a member of LOTW since its beginning and upload my QSO’s on a regular basis. But, there is something about a paper QSL card. It is not only an extension of the QSO, but also an extension of the operator on the other end. QSL cards add personality to the confirmation.
I am not a contester, but from time to time I make a few contacts during the monthly SKCC’s SKS. I am finding it a good time to put my TR-25 on line. I have to streamline the setup so when using my “field radio” on the operating table it is not a sight. I used my original straight key from 1958. Please see the photo below.
Throughout the years I have never had very good HF antennas. If fact my antennas have gone from not so good to poor. As a result, most of my DX contacts have been short to very short. I guess it would be nice to have good antennas and run power to garner enough attention that a DX station would be inclined to spend a few minutes exchanging words beyond a signal report, QTH and maybe a name.
I appreciate every contact I make, but a few DX contacts stand out. Several such QSO’s came to mind the other day when I received a response to my CQ on the low end of 20 meters (CW). It was from a station in the southern Caribbean. After getting over the shock from getting an answer to my CQ let alone from a DX station, I decided to try and extend the contact a bit and send more than just a report and my state. It worked and we had a nice exchange. Greg, Thank you.
As stated on my web site and blog posts, I like chasing DX. To a lesser extent I like chasing parks and other unique stations (e.g., meaningful special events). I like CW rag chewing, but always look for the station to be far away. That is not to say I have not had some great rag chews on the bands with stations close in. Back to reality, running 25 watts I give up one s-unit to the normal barefoot transceiver. Add to that an attic antenna and how much DX can one expect. Believe it or not some and even some not so run of the mill DX.
Lose another s-unit and bring into the mix my Penntek TR-25 and five to seven watts and you have the makings of a rag chewing machine. The need for the other station to be far away disappears and the value of the conversation takes over.
As stated in a prior post I sent my TR-25 for repair of my construction error. It was delivered to Penntek right after noon on Friday 2021-09-24. I was curious about its status and was about to send an e-mail on Monday 2021-09-27 when a midday mail delivery included my TR-25 ready to be put on the air. That would be an amazing quick response for a product issue, but such service on a builder error is unbelievable.
Thank you John!
Also, within a very short period of time I made my first contact with the TR-25 on 40 meters.
