An new DXCC and IOTA in one blow!

Today, finally the card from Banaba Isl Arrived. They used the call T33A and I managed to get them on CW and SSB in 4 band slots.

So this gives me one more in DXCC Mix, CW and PH. And a new IOTA as this is OC-018.

THANKS!

Winter is here! This morning I had about 6" ( 12 to 15 cm ) of the White fluff and temperature is around -10 C ( 14 F ). So there are no mosquito's outside today.

Tomorrow I have to visit the local vampire to give some blood. Reason for this is the yearly check-up of the heart.

So keep on trademarking and make Life as difficult for the rest of us as possible !!!??

CUL

Trademark!!??

Are this for real??!!


SouthWest Ohio DX Association (SWODXA) has trademarked "DX-Dinner" and "DXpedition of the Year". Is this true? How can they trademark a phrase?. USA! The land of surprises.


Why not trademark the alphabet and all the possible combinations of the letters. Than no one can write anymore without some agreement and fee to the owner of the Trademark.


Well, I guess this is only valid in US so we, outside US can use this as we please! So I hope any Association outside US start to Use "DX-Dinner" and "DXpedition of the Year" all the time.


More information in this matter can be found on DX-World. http://dx-world.net/


Winter has arrived. Minus 7 C and some fluff in the air. Have to go outside and find and dig out my car so I can go to the store and get some food.



CUL

New Bandslots for Challenge Award

Today I received a few more band slots for C9. It was C82DX operating from Mozambique. I could add 12, 17 and 30 m and by this filled up  most of the C9 slots. Only missing 160 m.

A very nice card indeed!!

I have started to build a device to degauss my spare GU74-b. Hopefully I will have it done this weekend. You do it by connect filament Power and then connect grid, screen and anode electrodes together and after cooking the tube with just filament for an hour you apply low voltage ( 15 to 35 V ) between cathode and the grid, screen and anode. Positive terminal to the anode and adjust the Power supply to achieve about 300 to 500 mA and Watch the current carefully for eventual jumps. Need a power supply with a current limiter After an additional hour the tube should be degaussed.

Well the weather man has promised some Winter this weekend. Temperature at the moment is around 6 C (42 F). But this will change to about -8 C (17 F) and some White fluff. I might have to start my snow blower!!??

Take care all of you readers. CUL

YES! Finally they arrived!

The QSL from HP0INT operation. I managed to work all of them I needed. NA-072 I had confirmed Before. But all other ( 5 ea ) was new for me. Look at the fine Pictures.

Unfortunately my scanner can't take all so I had to split them. Therefore the difference in size.

I've got a very nice e-mail from Steen OZ8SW. Steen made some nice comments  regarding IOTA and QSL. Thanks Steen. I will take your comment's under consideration.

To all of you click on the Pictures and enjoy!!

CUL

I've made some calculations!

If I will receive QSL and work IOTA with the present rate I will have a problem in achieving some Awards. I have at the moment 333 IOTA and to achieve the 750 goal to get the plackets it will take me more than 8-10 years from now!!?? But than I have not taken in account that the rate will go down as the IOTA's will become more rare and not so easy to find. That means I will be over 75 years old Before I even can Think about getting the 750 plackets.
So this is one more reason to quit the program and just slow down a bit. So you rare IOTAS will not receive any more $$ ££ €€ from me. There is no Point. I was to old when I started to chase IOTAS so it is my own fault.

Need a Picture!

This is Balder and he Think I should spend more time with him than chasing IOTA at the radio.
I will continue to work IOTA when I hear them and I will send QSL request via Buro. I will continue to update my account at IOTA but the serious chasing days are gone.

Imagine what I might do with all the Money I will save. It will buy me a lot of gasoline for my motorbikes and a lot of fun with them!!??

CUL!

Times of wonder is not over yet!

I received a QSL from K5T, NA-119 Timbalier Island Louisiana. Worked him in October 2013 and QSL arrived today. And this is super as it will go into my update.

But I still Think that IOTA has to do some major Changes in how get Islands confirmed. Otherwise I Think it will slowly die out. I don't Think I will get to 700 in my Life time with the present rate of speed!!?? But you never knew. Check out DX-World and the presentation from K6VVA. Wonder if he could read my thoughts as we have the same ideas about IOTA and QSL:ing.

Take care all of you readers out there. CUL!

IOTA programme dead or alive?

I have spent a lot of $$$ and €€€ to get QSL from different IOTA expeditions. I have been using SAE with $ £ €. But the replay rate is very low. OK, theft of SAE in some countries so use OQRS. Well I've done that as well. I have supplied lots of $ £ € via Pay-Pal. But the replay rate is almost the same. So what's the point in continue supplying $ £ € to a lot of hams all over the World and get nothing back?
There are exceptions. K6VVA and VK5CE reply very fast. But the last effort as VK5CE/4 has not show up yet.
DXCC is not a big problem. Here we have LoTW. And most of the DXpeditions load up after finished the operation. But it is a different story with IOTA. RSGB demand a paper QSL. And as long as RSGB can't come up with another way of getting islands confirmed we are stuck with the paper QSL. And operators need to understand that every January an update is done to RSGB. And this is done only once a year. So if you will get QSL after January you have to wait a year to get the IOTA confirmed into your credit. This is to slow system.
Why can't RSGB use the IOTA Contest computer system to upload log and in this way get hits and confirmation. Works fine during IOTA contest??!!
Well I will quit supplying $ £ € to individuals operating from rare IOTA's and from 2014 I will only send out QSL requests via buro. And if I will get a reply I will See this as a bonus. It will take to long time to get the Awards I need any way as response time is so slow. For example where is the QSL from HP0INT/3/2/9/4. QSL request was sent 19 September. I have not received any card so far. Hope they will show up Before the annual update. I believe it when I see them in my mail box.

No Picture this time as I'm a Little p----d off. I'm a retired guy and I will save my Money for better purpose than supplying individuals that never or seldom send anything back.

Now I will get a cup of coffee to slow me down a bit.