Amateur Radio Station
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).
A new guide is live on my website titled “Improving your QRZ Page”. The guide covers how to format your page, useful information to include in your biography, how to add images and set featured images and how to embed useful tools such as POTA Statistics and Clublog OQRS into your QRZ page.
You can view the guide HERE (link opens in new tab).
So far, I have received positive feedback from the guide, and I hope it will be useful for you.
73 de M7OJA.
A new ongoing challenge and awards scheme has launched. Grids on the Air (GOTA) provides the opportunity to claim awards for working as many grid squares as possible on Phone and CW modes only (a similar award scheme operates for digital modes).
The awards scheme, which is accessible via their website HERE (link opens in new tab) is now accepting log submissions. Endorsed by the RSGB, GMdx, AGCW and others, the program provides an addictive and fun way to chase grid squares and receive awards in the process.
You can also join the Facebook group to connect with other chasers HERE (link opens in new tab).
Each unique grid square will count towards your total, and a leader board is available on the website to compare yourself with other chasers. Only QSOs from after January 1st 2025 are valid for the awards.
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:
Keep an eye on the website for more information. When the article is published, it will appear under the “Getting Started” tab on the navigation menu. I will also notify via Instagram and my free newsletter.
– Oscar M7OJA
