Speaking of 160 meters, and K2's, I have been on a quest that began in 1999
right after building my K2. It has taken eight years of listening mostly...
Five Watt QRP Worked All Continents on TOP BAND
North America:
* numerous contacts
Africa:
* CN8WW Morocco 28 November 1999 - after working them QRO with my call
sign, KT5X, and they were rising to S-9 at their grayline, I decided to give it
a try QRP using the club call sign of which I am trustee, W5YA. They came
right back.
Oceania:
* FO/DL1AWI Marquesas Island 13 February 2001
* VK9DNX Norfolk Island 16 February, 2007 even though they were weak while
running a KW, I tried them QRP, and they came right back to me
* Numerous other contacts, mostly Hawaii.
South America:
* 3G0Y Easter Island 8 March 2001 - I listened to their signal rise and
fall like waves on the ocean, and a large pile-up of US stations calling them.
One time, the rise was almost S-9, and at that crest I dropped in a QRP call
using W5YA. They came back to the very first call excitedly asking if I was
QRP which I was. The op was a friend of the op at CN8WW and unknown to me
until after was actively listening for me!
* HC8N Galapagos Island worked QRP in contests quite a few times in
different years. they have good ears out on the ocean like that.
Europe:
* R1FJT Franz Josephland 26 October 2006 0232z - I thought Europe was going
to be impossible. Main Europe signals are never over S-6 here at the best of
times. Franz Josephland is actually the closest Europe I might have found. On
that evening, they were on their grayline for over an hour as the sun circled
just below their horizon. I worked them QRO with my KT5X callsign, then just
listened to them working stations, mostly Europeans that I could not hear.
After about forty-five minutes, their signal made a distinct rise in strength,
they had no American caller that I could hear, and I gave them a try QRP with
W5YA. They responded instantly with the call sign correct from the start! I
absolutely fell out of my chair with excitement. With this contact only one
continent was left, and I have been trying at my dawn on most weekends since.
Asia:
I have tried many times for years to make this contact. Several times the
Asian station, usually on a northern island of Japan, would send me a QRZ, but
each time it failed. I knew I needed a station with Beverages, and I expect
this was true. But today !!!
* JH4UYB Japan 16 February 2007 1310z
* JA3YBK Japan 16 February 2007 1322z
* JH2FXK Japan 16 February 2007 1340z
Call sign: W5YA
Rig: K2
Antenna: fifty foot tower wired as a folded unipole, sixty assorted length
ground wires.
QTH: Santa Fe, New Mexico.
OP: Fred, KT5X
Life is too long for QRO 8^D
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