DPRK (North Korea - P5 DXCC prefix) QSL card

While sorting out some direct incoming QSLs, I had to put in the QSL box a card from a P4 station.

And, here I came across, once again, that unique, one and only, possibly my most precious, QSL card of all times.

P5/4L4FN ... North Korea ... most wanted DXCC entity worldwide for so many years (with small interchanges with KP1 - Navassa) is still confirmed for my Athenian callsign SV1DKL since 2002, with the card sorted out in my QSL box. Why not share this with my readers?

So, here is the jewel of my QSL collection, which Ed, 4L4FN, cared to send me and make me happy:



I can still recall the pileup I witnessed that day on 15m. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to be one of the first ops to work Ed, before the mass concetrated.

Enjoy and 73!

1700 DXCC Challenge points reached !! 1800 is ... ahead !!

At a previous post (http://sv5dkl.blogspot.gr/2013/06/1600-dxcc-challenge-points-overpassed.html), I had set a personal target, to reach 1700 DXCC challenge points in LotW until the end of 2013.

Well, that came early, as checking today's LotW DXCC totals, I was happy to 
see the number 1700 showing at lower right side.

This mainly derives from the majority of contest logs uploaded to LotW, after 
CQ WW SSB, that took place lasst weekend. Just think that before that, my DXCC Challenge totals was 1655 !!

Below is my SV5DKL DXCC Challenge totals as of 02 November 2013:

and here is the respective SV1DKL DXCC Challenge totals as of 02 November 2013:

 

Now aiming for the 1800 mark ... that shows up ahead ;-)

73

Stathis, SV5DKL 

 

 

A Blast ... !!!

CQ WW SSB 2013 is over. This time it was a real blast !!

I wish we had this kind of propagation each time.
I really did not hesitate taking part in SOAB(A) HP category, although I operated for a frantic 43 hours and 9 minutes, while sleeping only for 1 hour during the event.

Below is my contest summary:

Call: SV5DKL
Operator(s): SV5DKL
Station: SV5DKL

Class: SOAB(A) HP
QTH: Rhodes Island-EU001
Operating Time (hrs): 43:09`

Summary:
 Band  QSOs  Zones  Countries
------------------------------
  160:  101     8       42
   80:  265    13       70
   40:  477    26       94
   20: 1021    39      130
   15:  721    37      123
   10: 1059    39      136
------------------------------
Total: 3644   162      595  Total Score = 4,649,494

Of course, as you all already know, I am a statistics kind of guy, so in a few

days I am going to present here some very interesting statistics of this operation,

that help one make out the strategy and/or operation mistakes.

My obvious mistake was that I spent too much operating time hunting multipliers,

at periods where I could have easily had a 200+ QSO/hr runs. That resulted in more

mults, but less QSOs. With such good propagation, maybe I should have aimed 

for more 3-pointer QSOs, resulting to better points profit.

Moreover, all contest audio is recorded and will be uploaded to my searchable

contest audio database very soon, after editing.

Best rate was 300 QSOs in 60 minutes !!

Looking forward to the CW part, where I will be travelling to Western Greece, to 

join SZ1A Multi-single team.

73! 

Hell is about to break loose ... CQ WW SSB 2013 !!

OK!

CQ WW RTTY was a nice warm-up. But, we've finally come to the best event of the best.

Next weekend we are all participating in CQ WW DX SSB 2013 Contest.

I've had several emails asking for potential skeds, during the contest, etc.

I arranged 0 (zero) skeds. I believe having a sked will make it more difficult to stick to the strategy plans. Maybe a few nice mults on 160m would be helpful to sked with, though.



Gentlemen, CQ WW SSB is ... WAR !! Speed and accuracy are what you need, combined with the best sleeping strategy you can get, as well as keeping up with propagation predictions.

Personally, I will participate in SOAB(A)HP category, under (TS) sub-category, which means, tireness, blazed vision on evening of day 2, taking the station to its limits and "fighting" with the best contesters worldwide.

For every potential participant, please try to respect the band plan and stick to the crucial points of DX Code of Conduct, for instance, if you don't hear the mult, don't call in vain making it harder for others that copy the mult, etc... , you will eventually get your chance, too.

All contest audio will be recorded and I am also thinking of streaming it together with the total scores window of my contest program. Keep returning to this post for any potential update, mentioning the stream's URL.

Many interesting calls will be aired during the contest. Have a good look at this URL: http://www.ng3k.com/misc/cqs2013.html and mark your targets !!!

All of my contest QSOs will be uploaded to LotW, as always on Monday morning.

CU all on the air

TX5D ATNO in the log

TX5D is currently operating from Raivavae Island (OC-114) from Austral island DXCC entity (FO/A). Operations are scheduled to cease on October 14th.

Austral was a much missed ATNO for my logs. I hadn't even worked it with my old Athenian callsign SV1DKL, either.



So, it was a big chance to finally make at least one QSO for an all time new one for me.
Propagation was really funny to Austral and when TX5D was heard in EU, I was at work :-(

But, on October 8th, I woke up quite early, as usual when I have to go for my morning training, so I thought I'd have a look at the DX Cluster before leaving.
There was a spot for TX5D at 14.235 from a West Coast guy, but my tribander was already pointing there short-path, so I tuned in to check my luck ... TX5D was there with a strong 5/7 signal, which btw was the only one heard on 20m at that specific time (0216z).

Lit the linear and gave a shout 5 up ... TX5D op was as much surprised as I was when listening to him say "just the SV5 please" !!

That's it !!

QSO in the log and after me he went on working West Coast like crazy !! Afterwards, quite a few europeans had the chance to exchange RST with him, too.

Thankfully, SV5DKL has as of then 308 DXCC worked, whilst combined logs with SV1DKL show a total of 330 DXCC worked ... if only they counted in combination !!

Another ATNO will be aired (I hope, soon) from Wake Atoll under the callsign K9W. There has been a press release mentoning they are delayed due to the constrained US public sector, but I am sure they will overcome this obstacle, too !!

14th October 2013 Update:

 

TX5D worked also on 17m SSB !! Nice going ...

3rd GTC CW Cup this weekend ... Get Ready !!

 

Finally, the time has come for Greek Telegraphy Club's yearly fest.

This coming weekend, 5-6/10/2013 the 3rd GTC CW Cup will gather all of our members and friends together to a most enjoyable event.

 

Dust off your keyer and paddles and join in, we'll be so happy to hear you on.

 

Full details on the 3rd GTC CW Cup are posted at the official web site of GTC which you may find below:

 

http://www.raag.org/displayITM1.asp?ITMID=630&LANG=EN

 

From this year on, there will be special interest for the hunting of GTC's Club Station, SZ1SV, worth most points (100), which will be activated circularly throughout the event, from various locations of the Greek Territory.

 

CU on air

2013 CQ WW RTTY Contest Aftermath ... One down, two to go !!

It'd been a while since I last put a full-time effort on this one, but this year's CQ WW RTTY contest had it all .. good condx, lots of traffic, disciplined stations and on top of all, FUN!

My choice of category entry was decided on Friday evening, few hours before the start. Several weekend obligations wouldn't have permitted a full-time daytime presence on the bands, so from the low bands, 40m was selected. I entered the contest in the SOSB(A)/40 LP category, which seems to have worked OK for me.

It is, indeed, a real torture trying to survive your signal on 40m with just 95W and an Inv-L, even worse to handle a pile-up. Still, I managed to pull through quite well, making a considerable score of almost 165k points.

Here is my QSO summary in brief:

Contest: 2013 CQ WW RTTY
Callsign: SV5DKL
Category: SOSB(A)/40 LP
Claimed Score: 164328 points
40m QSOs: 601 (606 w/ dupes)
40m DXCCs: 73
40m Zones: 21
40m States/Provinces: 29
Hours on-air: 19.5 / 48

Considering the official records list of CQ magazine here, a good placement is expected for this entry.

My contest log analysis can be browsed through by clicking here.

CU in the SSB part from my QTH and in the CW part from SZ1A Contest Station in western Greece, where almost all of the best Greek CW ops will gather to try and set a new M/S (or M/2) record.

2013 CQ WW RTTY contest next weekend ... contest season begins !!

Finally, after a hot summer with not so many DX thrills, nor even good 2m & up propagation in contrast with previous seasons, the famous fall contest season begins. And XZ1Z was a good DX warm-up ...

It all starts in coming weekend with the CQ WW RTTY Contest. Rules have changed (again!) and you if you intend to participate you should read them from the official site of CQ WW RTTY here.

Be careful !! From this year on, no 160m RTTY operation will be allowed, different country contacts within any continent (not just North America) get 2 points, Same-country contacts get 1 point and in M/S categories there will be a category discrimination between HP and LP stations. Also, the 10-minute rule for M/S entrants has transformed into a maximum allowable 8 band-changes per hour.

 



Rules are available in 13 different languages at http://www.cqwwrtty.com/ and in there you will also be able to see all empty record sheets for your DXCC entity under "Records" tab, so this may make you set a new target for your potential participation.

For my part of the world in SV5-land, there are plenty of such target-setting choices, due to very low RTTY activity. Of course, I will participate and give out the (rare in RTTY) SV5 mult from Zone 20, aiming for a good result. My category of participation will be decided literally hours before the start of the contest, mainly due to other obligations to be taken care of during the contest weekend.



As always, all my contest QSOs will be uploaded to LotW, eQSL and Clublog, on Monday, September 30th. So, if you do miss SV5 in RTTY, or it is an ATNO for you, here is your chance to fill in those slots in your DXCC sheets, with no fuss of QSL cards, GSs, IRCs, paypal donations, OQRS, etc.

Any contest QSO sked is welcome and will be accepted until Friday, September 27th at 1800z. 

Quite a few stations from SV and SV9 will participate as well, and I wish them all Good Luck.

Contest season will proceed with the other two major CQ WWs, SSB part at the end of October (will do SOABHP targetting to a new personal record) and CW at the end of November (I will travel to Western Greece, where almost all of the best Greek CW operators will gather to assist SZ1A contest station set a new record for Greece, and why not, for Zone 20).

73 and enjoy contesting.

SV5DKL

R.I.P. Panos ...

... Questions remaining unanswered forever ... a big WHY comes out of the lips as a plain reflex ... Why did HE want you near HIM, man? ... WHY ?? ...

A bright, brilliant and most promising young man and fellow amateur radio operator, Panos, is no longer in our vain world, due to a tragic accident.

My thoughts and prayers are with his father and the rest of his family.

 



Goodbye my friend. May our Lord have a better plan for you up there.

3rd GTC CW Cup Rules are announced

 

Rules and prerequisites of the 3rd Greek Telegraphy Club CW Cup have been announced on the official site of GTC here:

 

http://www.raag.org/displayITM1.asp?ITMID=631&LANG=EN

 

This year's rules have been updated, in order to give a more sophisticated and meritocratic character to the event.

 

It is worth mentioning that GTC's club station, SZ1SV, with member number GTC 1000, will be activated circularly from several territories of Greece. The activity of the club station from Attica region will use the callsign SZ1SV, while activities from other regions of Greece will use SZ1SV/SVx callsigns, where x=the number that corresponds to the respective Greek territory.

 

We will be present, of course, maintaining the good reputation this event has gained and giving out our membership number for a new mult to the participants.

 



2013 CQ WPX SSB Results published

These guys are getting better and better each year ... they have reduced the log-processing time of one of the major worldwide amateur radio contests in just under 5 months, while a few years before we were waiting impatiently for the CQ magazine to come out just before the respective contest, in order to find out our last year's participation ranking and final scores.

2013 CQ WPX SSB results are already published here: http://www.cqwpx.com/results.htm

Lots of interesting results this time for the 2013 CQ WPX SSB Contest. Many new Country records and great scores overall by experienced and non-experienced participants. The battle between WW & WPX still holds well, still my personal opinion is that WPX is much more demanding and needs much more sophisticated stragegy and planning. Moreover, the 36-hour limit for Single OPs is an added value for this contest, since the off-periods should always be well planned and depend on many factors, such as current score, current mult total, propagation parameters. I.e. you are more likely to achieve a better result when your off-periods allow for retaining your stamina during the 2nd half of the participation as well as they allow you to plan working S&P for far away mults, that are only going to be available for a very short period and maybe LP (for my case, specific Pacific station from z31 and z32, KL7 and West Coasters).

This year, I decided to devote to a low-band, mostly due to other important obligations during the daytime, so 80m sounded a great choice, both for testing my new low band antenna and also try to work a few new ones (I did !!).

I used my FT-2K barefoot at about 95w and the aerial was an Inv-L totalling 27,5m in length, fed by my antenna coupler and aided by 48 random length radials lying on the rooftop. Total participation time was 21,5 hours. With the help of DX Cluster and low noise due to low humidity, I got my best ever result on 80m in a major scale contest. Station performed flawlessly, Muprhy had a few days-off and all these led to a score reduction of just 3,9% and only 9 QSOs out of 719 were cancelled.

And here is the pay-off:

This was my first worldwide victory in any of the WW & WPX contests, so this certificate of merit made me very proud.

Current station setup is being re-tested, aligned and maintained so it will be ready for October's WW SSB contest. Category of participation will be decided literally before the start and will depend upon other matters to be taken care of.

CU there anyway !!

 

European CW Association Presidential Elections are over !!

In the middle of July, EUCW Association officials called for vote all ECMs (European Communication Managers) from EUCW club members, because the 3 year presidential period of former EUCW president, Ivan Ivanov, LZ1PJ had expired and according to EUCW statute, immediate actions should be taken to elect a new president after official elections.

Right to vote was given to all clubs that fulfilled specific requirements, such as number of members, presence in EUCW activities/events, etc.

As ECM of the Greek Telegraphy Club, I was called to vote for the new president, representing GTC vote.

Two courageous candidancies were proposed in time, one from G5VZ and the other from ON4LDL. Their bios were posted in EUCW official web site, in order for voting ECMs to evaluate their suitability for the presidential post.

Voting process was administered by Don Field, G3XTT as an Election Returns Officer and monitored by Martin, IK2RMZ. Votes were being accepted via e-mail to Don, during timeframe 1-31 August 2013.

16 EUCW member clubs' votes were received by Don during this timeframe and amongst them were votes from clubs that updated their membership numbers.



Yesterday, September 1st, 2013, the final results were reported by Don and the winner of the election process was G5VZ, Chris Pearson by 15 votes to 1 that went to ON4LDL, Robert Michaux.

G5VZ's role is quite demanding and vital in order to preserve CW activity among EUCW and its club members.

As ECM of GTC, I'd like to express my best wishes to Chris for the hard work he has taken over and my belief that he will pull through and stand up to the special requirements of the role of the President of the European CW Association.

73/55

Stathis, SV5DKL
E.C.M. - G.T.C.
G.T.C. #028
GTC CW Cup Contest Manager