Amateur Radio Station
All about HF…
I am very pleased to, today, receive my Worldwide Flora Fauna (WWFF) Hunter Certificate for working 14 European DXCCs within the program.
I am a keen hunter for Parks on the Air (POTA) stations, and there is a lot of overlap with this program. Therefore, I am very happy to be awarded this certificate.
If you are interested in starting to hunt or activate WWFF sites, you can check out my guide HERE (link opens in new tab).
-M7OJA
If you have read any of my previous blog posts, you will know that I have an affection for the E7POTA group of radio amateurs. Their work has always been innovative, creative and showed the best that portable radio can offer. With Parks on the Air (POTA) an ever-growing scheme within the hobby, it’s great to have a group of keen operators who are a perfect example of how to participate and enjoy the outdoors while winning awards.
I was speaking with Husein, E75HZ, who drew my attention to the activities of another member of the team. Dino (OE2BRO) has recently modified his trusty Kawasaki motorcycle specifically for portable radio activations and the result is impressive. Husein writes:
“From the very beginning of the E7POTA story, colleague Dino (OE2BRO) surprises us again and again with his creativity and passion for radio amateur activations. His latest idea – to combine his love for motorcycles and POTA activations – has resulted in a unique project that could set new standards in mobile activations.
Dino converted his old but reliable Kawasaki into a real little POTA rig. Along with the carefully crafted mounts, he mounted a modified pole for the Rotary Dipole antenna, while on the handlebars he installed a practical mount for a QRP radio (Xiegu G90 or similar). The power supply is provided by self-modified batteries, designed precisely for such off-road challenges.
The preparations took several days, mostly due to waiting for the delivery of certain components, but the result was worth every moment of the invested work. Dino successfully and stylishly activated two Austrian POTA parks – AT-0334 and AT-0335 – (the first activation) using the call sign OE/E7POTA.
The smile on his face speaks volumes. The activations were more than successful, and for some of these parks they were the first recorded activities. His moto-approach attracted attention both among hams and beyond, as a great example of how passion, technical ingenuity and a spirit of adventure can come together in an unforgettable experience.
Is Dino the first to activate POTA destinations in this way? Maybe he is, or maybe not – but one thing is certain: his project is unusual, innovative and inspiring.
73 and 44 from the E7POTA community – and congratulations, Dino!“
Often in amateur radio, the perfect solution isn’t readily available and requires some creativity. This is the best example of that, and this proactive and innovative approach to portable activating by Dino and the other members of E7POTA is exactly why I love the group and the POTA scheme as a whole.
If you haven’t already watched my recorded interview with Esad E77PY, another member of the E7POTA group, you can can check this out HERE (link opens in new tab). If you would like to work E7POTA on the air, keep an eye on the POTA Cluster and follow the group on Facebook HERE (link opens in new tab) for info on upcoming activations and activities.
73 and 44 de Oscar M7OJA.
This evening, the 26th April 2025, band conditions were fantastic. Across 15m, 17m and 20m, there was a wide opening from the United Kingdom to North and South America and Australia in particular. I managed to work all 6 continents this evening, and the distribution of FT8 contacts were scattered across the globe.
Thanks to the high sunspot number and SFI, the bands have been in great shape recently. In addition to widespread FT8 openings, many SSB contacts to North America were also possible. Did you manage to get any in the log?
Last weekend (19-20th April 2025) was the Spring edition of the “Support Your Parks Weekend” event. This is a quarterly event run by the Parks on the Air (POTA) team encouraging radio amateurs to “get on the air” from/to a park to support the program.
I was pleased to be able to make contact with Riso OM6RT in his activation of Rumanovský park. Luckily for me, this meant I was issued with the special award for the event, which you can view below.
I continue to support the Parks on the Air program, and I am pleased that such events exist to support the portable community within the hobby. Some of my best contacts have been while activating a local park/beach, and the proximity to the sea in my local area boosts signal propagation.
I was very pleased to open an airmail letter to find my DX Century Club (DXCC) award. One of the most prestigious and most sought-after awards in amateur radio, I was delighted to receive mine.
The award celebrates making QSOs to 100 different DX entities, and proof of contact (QSL) must be provided for each.
More on the scheme can be found HERE (link opens in new tab).
This weekend, the CQWW WPX (Prefix) award on SSB was held, one of the biggest events in the annual contesting calendar.
I took part as M7OJA from my home QTH with 25w, a 5 band cobweb and 10-40m end-fed. I entered the fixed, single-op, low-power, all-band category with youth overlay.
In total, I achieved 546 QSOs to 65 DXCCs.
Contests like this help to keep the bands alive, with no shortage of DX available this weekend.
As I was away from the shack today, I decided to leave my radio (Yaesu FT-991A) connected to my PC (running MMSSTV) to see if any SSTV images could be decoded.
I was very surprised when I returned to the shack to find over 100 images saved. Although some were blurry and distorted, the majority were clear and readable.
The following images were received 20/03/2025 between 11:00-17:00 on 20m SSTV (14.230MHz) with a cobweb antenna:
A never-before-seen scale expedition is planned to Bouvet, the most remote island in the world. Planned for February 2026, the 3Y0K team of 18-24 operators are planning to operate on the island for around 3 weeks. The group has a budget of approximately $1.6 million dollars funded by various DXpedition groups and corporate sponsors.
The group plans to arrive on the island by helicopter (by the Norwegian Polar Institute) before sailing on an icebreaker for around a week. Two camps are planned to be setup, one focusing on North American contacts and the other on the rest of the world. SSB and CW will be prioritised, with some operation on digital modes such as FT8 and RTTY and via the QO-100 satellite.
The DXpedition will participate in various awards schemes, with the following references:
Parks on the Air (POTA) –BV-0001
Islands on the Air (IOTA) – AN-002
World Wide Flora Fauna (WWFF) – LAFF-0044
Summits on the Air (SOTA) – BV-001
QSL cards will be offered for any contacts during the expedition. Currently, a PayPal Online QSL Request (OQRS) and Logbook of the World (LOTW) confirmation will be $15, with bureau requests priced at $3. Direct cards will also be answered, with a suggested minimum contribution of $5 or more. For those unable to make a financial contribution, a free bureau QSL card option will become available after the expedition and when other requests are processed.
QSL requests will be available via Charles M0OXO at his website HERE (link opens in new tab).
Further information about the expedition is available at the 3Y0K dedicated website, accessible HERE.
Here is a selection of the QSL cards I have received direct in the post this month.
I upload a QSL card from my personal archive every day on my Instagram page. Take a look and follow me HERE (link opens in new tab).
The special callsign E7POTA from Bosnia-Herzegovina is now active on the HF bands for the Parks on the Air (POTA) program.
E7POTA and OE/E7POTA will be active across the HF bands on SSB and FT8/FT4. Keep an eye on the POTA cluster HERE (link opens in new tab) for information. The callsign is also active on Facebook and you can follow them HERE (link opens in new tab).
An award scheme for the special callsign is also available, awarding diplomas for making QSOs with the station. Details of the award scheme is available on their website HERE.
I am pleased to have received the Bronze Award so far, and I will continue to work the callsign in their POTA activations.
I had the pleasure of interviewing Esad E77PY, one of the activators and leaders of the E7POTA callsign. You can view the interview HERE (link opens in new tab).
Despite a minor solar storm causing disruption and poor propagation on HF, I enjoyed operating today. I achieved 200 QSOs on Sunday, including 60 Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) contacts, 11 Parks on the Air (POTA) contacts and a new DXCC (Cocos Keeling Island) on 20m SSB.
On Sunday 10th March 2025, the first round of the Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) contest took place. The aim of the contest is to provide an opportunity for young people (under age 25) to be the focus of a contest. For 12 hours, amateurs all over the world made contact with each other, with bonus points available for QSOs with under 25s.
I chose to take part in the “6 hour” category of the contest, and as I am 21, I am classed as a “YOTA” station. In between other things, I put a few CQs out on 20m and 40m and finished the contest with 60 in the log. The oldest operator I spoke to was 82, and the youngest was only 7 years old operating with a youth club in Hungary!
Log submissions are to be in Cabrillo format and can be submitted HERE (link opens in new tab).
A few statistics from my log is below:
Last night, the 24th Feb 2025, I took part in the RSGB FT4 contest for the first time. I was using a 20.5m 49:1 end-fed. As the contest began, my strategy was to start on 20m for any DX contacts before moving on to 40m for as many European DXCCs as possible.
Within about 5 minutes of the contest starting, I realised I wasn’t going to get far on the 10w I was using to enter into the “10w Restricted” category, so I increased my power to the maximum 25w as permitted by my licence. This meant I was able to achieve more points and countries, but this was a disadvantage as I had to enter in the 100w category.
My first contacts as the contest began were to the USA, Morocco and the Canary Islands before moving on to 40m. Unfortunately, I do not have access to 80m at my home QTH, meaning I was unable to collect DXCCs from this band.
On 40m, I was slowly but surely beginning to collect DXCCs, until my computer crashed and I had to restart before JTDX would work again. This set me back around 10 minutes.
Owing to a couple of last minute DXCCs, I finished with 40 QSOs and 25 DXCCs in the log, which was nowhere near the highest score, but still fun to participate and nice to gain a couple of new countries on FT4.
You can read more about the RSGB FT4 contest HERE (link opens in new tab).
73 de M7OJA
Due to the activity of Solar Cycle 25 and a high SFI and Sunspot count, the HF bands have been particularly good this weekend.
I took full advantage of the good conditions this weekend and operated over a variety of modes and bands on HF from Friday to Sunday.
To summarise my activity:
| Total In The Log (ITL) | 575 QSOs |
| New Countries (DXCCs) | 9 New (Nigeria, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahrain, Armenia, French Guiana, Thailand, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize) |
| Total Countries (DXCCs) | 70 ITL This Weekend |
| Parks on the Air (POTA) References | 10 References |
| Bunkers on the Air (WWBOTA) References | 2 References |
A statistical view of my weekend activity is below, showing my overall statistics, a list of worked countries, a map of Europe and a worldwide map.
I have been lucky enough to work the DXPedition to Nigeria this weekend and a bonus contact as I am writing this to 4S7SPG, DXPedition to Sri Lanka.
Always take advantage when the bands are strong, as you never know what DX is possible with a limited setup.
The bands have been remarkably open over the past week or two. In the past few days, there have been many DX opportunities on 10m, 20m and 40m particularly. Please see the snapshot of today’s activities.
Working Conditions
Between 5W-25W into an end-fed antenna (49:1, 20.5m wire) positioned over the roof. Transceiver is a Yaesu FT-991a.
Statistics
This week especially, working conditions on HF have been a lot better than usual. Even with a very modest antenna and low power, DX contacts have been achievable. This has also been helped by a range of DXpeditions at the moment, increased portable activity through schemes such as Flora Fauna (WWFF), Parks on the Air (POTA) and Summits on the Air (SOTA). There have also been several special event stations running recently.
The most important factor, however, is the fast approaching peak of Solar Cycle 25, giving us improved propagation and many DX opportunities.
You can see my daily snapshot HERE to see for yourself!
DXpeditions
At the moment, there are two major DXpeditions running. The first is V73WW, Marshall Islands. The second is VK9XU, Christmas Island. The links to both of their websites are below:
Special Event Stations
There are a number of special event awards, provided by the Hamaward system. With this system, QSOs are automatically uploaded by the DX station (you do not need to submit your logs or QSL cards). Over the course of the award, you can work each participating callsign once per band, mode and day. This means you can accumulate a number of points per day. At the end of the award, your points are added up, and there is a feature to download digital QSL cards as well as a diploma if you have successfully scored enough points. Participating stations will provide an embedded log search in their QRZ page, and you can check how many points you have accumulated. The awards currently running are as follows:
PZK-IARU
This award is celebrating the 95th birthday of the PZK organisation and the 100th of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). The 1st round of the contest runs from the 17th Feb 2025 – 3rd Mar 2025.
Please see the link HERE for more info.
VOLTA
The VOLTA contest is running from Feb 15th 2025 – Feb 23rd 2025. The award is to mark the 27th Volta International Memorial Day.
Please see the link HEREfor more info.
Marconi (IR0RRAI)
The IR0RRAI award is to celebrate the 150th birthday of Marconi. The contest runs from Feb 15th 2025 to Mar 16th 2025.
Please see the link HERE for more info.
Terni, City of Love (II0LOVE)
The Terni, City of Love award is running from Feb 01st 2025 – Feb 28th 2025 to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day.
Please see the link HERE for more info.
Today, 18/02/2025, conditions have been far better than average on 10m. Over the course of about 5 hours, I have worked into the US, several Caribbean stations and South America on FT8/FT4
Pleased to have worked Martinique, Chile and Curacao for the first time, and QSL cards have been/will be requested.
Equipment and working conditions can be found HERE.
Below is a graph of all contacts on 17/02/2025 by country count:
73 de M7OJA!
Today, 13th February 2025, I worked Harald 9X2AW during his Dxpedition to Rwanda. On 17m FT8, his signal in the North East of England was -19. His aim is to provide an opportunity for stations to get a new country in the log. He was very patient on the air as QSB meant we had to repeat our signal reports several times. However, after around three minutes, I got the final “73” and could breathe a sigh of relief. He is active until 15/Feb/2025 in Rwanda and QSL is via LoTW or direct paper QSL via M0OXO. You can view the OQRS service HERE to request a card (link opens in new tab).
