Howdy,

I usually travel to Damascus, Syria once a year and i operate as YK1BA for about two weeks.  

My priority is to work everyone that needs YK for a new country/band/mode, so please help me and help those stations by following these guidelines.

Operating Info:

Don’t call me if you have already worked me and confirmed the QSO. This will definitely help thin down the pile up and give better chance to others to be heard and worked.

Insurance QSOs are ok if you are uncertain about the first QSO. However, you don’t need to work me 6 times. I usually don’t move on to the next QSO till I’m very certain that I have copied the call correctly. One insurance QSO is enough. Also, I usually tell you “in log” or “QSO” if you work me again, so please don’t call again. That will only slow me down and take QSOs away from others.

Russia, east Europe and west Europe stations are usually heard in Syria very strong all day long and they create a wall that prevents stations outside those regions to be heard and worked. Openings to areas outside those regions are usually few and short in duration, so please work with me and help me work them during those short windows. When I call a certain area, all others should stand by.

Please LISTEN. When I call a certain number or a certain area, I will only work those that I call and anyone else that calls me will not be worked and will only be slowing me down and taking QSOs away from others.

Please LISTEN. I will give my info frequently, so please don’t break in and ask for the call, QSL info, etc. Just wait and listen for few minutes and I will give it on my own.

Please don’t ask me to QSY to another band or mode during a pile up. Also, please don’t ask for scheds.

I don’t have access to email while in Syria, so if you email me I will read them after I return to Texas.

QSL Info:

No Buro Please - ALL QSLs should go direct to N5FF. The mailing address is Saad Mahaini, 428 Brook Glen Drive. Richardson, TX – 75080, USA

I prefer the self adhesive type of envelopes not the ones that you have to lick. Also, I recommend sending International mail return envelopes (Air mail Red and Blue) for international requests.

I only reply to direct QSL requests.  Please QSL direct to N5FF. My turn around is usually less than a month.

No IRCs Please, only Green Stamps.  Two GSs for outside USA or one GS for USA will be adequate to cover the card cost and return postage, but of course more will be much appreciated to help offset my overall QSLing cost. Remember I reply to about 3000 QSOs a year on average, and that gets very costly.

QSL requests that don’t have a self addressed return envelope and proper form and amount of fund (2 GSs for non USA and 1 GS for USA) for return postage will not be answered.

Going forward, i do not reply to Buro requests.

Please don’t send me a QSL request for QSOs that you have not made. I don’t sell QSOs. Regardless how much money you send, you will NOT get a QSL if you are not in the log.

Please don’t email me with QSL requests or to ask if you are in the log.

YK in general:

Syria used to be very high on the “DXCC most wanted list. It ranked #35 at the end of last decade in 1999. I hope that I have been able to contribute a little bit towards improving this status by operating from the YK couple of weeks a year since 2000. However, the real difference was/is made by the great efforts of the very few active YK hams that helped put YK in many logs since then thus improving the YK ranking down to #84 in 2009. The goal is to get it off the list completely.

Omar YK1AO and other dedicated veteran YK operators have been actively recruiting and elmering new members to the small YK ham radio community. As a result, a radio club has been established in Damascus and few more YK hams are heard on the air regularly. However, your support is needed. Ham radio equipment is not available in Syria, and is very hard and expensive to import. New hams do not have the luxury to have their own stations without the DX community support. Please consider donating funds, supplies, and equipment to the YK hams so we can hear many more YK stations on the air. Please contact Omar YK1AO if you wish to help out.

Final words:

After all, please remember that this is a hobby, and we all do it to enjoy it. I look forward to see you all in the YK1BA log.

Cheers to the pileups.

73s Saad N5FF