2012 so far: 241 DXCC & WAZ

(Goal for 2012 = 275)

Diamond DXCC Challenge: 185!

All QSOs with 80 watts or less!

Keep an eye on this SPOT for updates.

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2011 Recap: Goal: 255 Worked: 274 !

2010 Recap: Goal: 250 Worked: 253 !

2009 Recap: Goal: 200 Worked: 237!

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I am deeply humbled and honored to be FOC #1938 !

N8DE adheres to:

I WILL LISTEN, AND LISTEN, AND THEN LISTEN AGAIN

I WILL ONLY CALL IF I CAN COPY THE DX STATION PROPERLY

I WILL NOT TRUST THE CLUSTER AND WILL BE SURE OF THE DX STATION'S CALL SIGN BEFORE CALLING

I WILL NOT INTERFERE WITH THE DX STATION NOR ANYONE CALLING HIM AND WILL NEVER TUNE UP ON THE DX FREQUENCY OR IN THE QSX SLOT

I WILL WAIT FOR THE DX STATION TO END A CONTACT BEFORE I CALL HIM

I WILL ALWAYS SEND MY FULL CALL SIGN

I WILL CALL AND THEN LISTEN FOR A REASONABLE INTERVAL. I WILL NOT CALL CONTINUOUSLY.

I WILL NOT TRANSMIT WHEN THE DX OPERATOR CALLS ANOTHER CALL SIGN, NOT MINE

I WILL NOT TRANSMIT WHEN THE DX OPERATOR QUERIES A CALL SIGN NOT LIKE MINE

I WILL NOT TRANSMIT WHEN THE DX STATION CALLS OTHER GEOGRAPHIC AREAS THAN MINE

WHEN THE DX OPERATOR CALLS ME, I WILL NOT REPEAT MY CALL SIGN UNLESS I THINK HE HAS COPIED IT INCORRECTLY

I WILL BE THANKFUL IF AND WHEN I DO MAKE A CONTACT

I WILL RESPECT MY FELLOW HAMS AND CONDUCT MYSELF SO AS TO EARN THEIR RESPECT.

The above courtesy of: http://www.dx-code.org/

DX QSL INFORMATION: I will send a QSL to you, via bureau if possible, for EVERY band/mode contact. Please send your QSL most convenient manner. 37,000 DX QSLs catalogued here already. Thank you to all the wonderful ops who have sent theirs! Stateside/VE QSLs sent ONLY upon receipt of SASE or SAE and $1.

I do NOT use LOTW or eQSL!

In 1953, when the permeability-tuned Philco tabletop radio started tuning in160m AM signals I was bitten hard by the Ham Radio Bug! Took the Novice test from FCC examiner W8DX on my 17th birthday and passed! First licensed as WN8QHW, I soon upgraded to Technician after 3 months, and then General after another 3 months, with the callsign W8QHW!

My 'Elmers' were W8GFE and W8GJG, but I soon discovered DX and Contests, so took lessons from the 'old masters' W8JIN, W8FGX, and W8RSW. In 1960, long before 'incentive licensing', I upgraded to Amateur Extra, sending my 20 wpm with a straight key, and copying the entire text solid from VVV to VVV [you old-timers will remember that!].

Earned WAS as a Novice on 7178.2 . crystal controlled. Then became a DXer when my General class license allowed me to 'roam' the bands, working DXCC on 40m in less than two years, using a Johnson Viking I [still have it!.5 of them, actually] and a Collins 75A-1 [still have it, TOO!].

When the FCC allowed Extra Class Hams to 'select' their own callsigns, I chose N8DE . because every good ham knows what DahDiDit Dit means! Made DXCC HonorRoll in the late 1980's but three tornadoes tore down my towers in 1982,1985, and 1992 haven't worked much DX since then. In 1995, took a 2m rig and a HF rig to Europe and operated as OK8BDE, SO8DE, OM9ADE, and HA/N8DE, thanks to my hosts: OK1KT, SP8BJU, OK1TW (SK), and HA5FA, who helped with licensing and operating!

In the late 1950's, I became Assistant Editor of DX Magazine, Published weekly by Don Chesser, W4KVX, who became my mentor on DXing. At the time, I was known as Little Don, and W4KVX was called 'Big Don'. Loyal subscribers will remember that my finger was almost cut off by the large Weber printing press and it is still deformed after 50 years.

A retired professional educator with BS and MA in Mathematics, specializing in Probability and Statistics, I taught HS Mathematics for 40 years, finally retiring [for the second time!] in 2002. Also coached Football, Baseball, Track & Field, and Swimming, though no more than two in any one school year.

My goal is to get many towers and antennas up and enjoy my retirement as soon as I retire the third time! Presently, I travel extensively, as a licensed rabbit show judge [the only person in USA to hold both Amateur Extra Class and rabbit judging licenses!).

Now at the new QTH in Michigan, I am in the process of planning and then constructing my dream antenna system. This will consist of monobanders for 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, and 10m, on 4 separate towers, with 3-el, switchable, vertical arrays for 40m and 80m. A extended double-zepp will be used for 160m except during Winter contests when a 3-el vertical array composed of balloon-supported verticals will be erected on the acreage immediately to the North of the QTH, thanks to a friendly neighbor. Goal is to have most of the antennas up and running by the Fall of 2011.

The A3S is now up on the small tower at 10 meters.

Hope to have more yagis up soon!

Next up will be the "North" tower with monobanders for 30m, 17m, and 12m.

Spring of 2012 will prove interesting, with plans to put up the 80' tower with stacked monobanders for 20m, 15m, and 10m in an inverted Christmas tree. In addition, if things go as planned, another 60' tower to the far West of the house will hold a 40m Moxon yagi.

Monobanders for 20m, 15m, and 10m will be fixed on the Caribbean for contests and side-mounted on the three towers nearest the house.

STAY TUNED!

The 3-el vertical 40m array has been erected, but the phasing lines and remote switching will be finished during the Spring of 2011.

The station equipment consists of FIVE NCG 10/160M transceivers and a Dentron DTR-2000L amplifier (Not working) with Heathkit and Dentron antenna tuners.

To the left of the operating position is a NEW 84 drawer index file of ALL my contacts [now over 330,000], much like a library card file, as I keep all logs on paper and do NOT use a computer for that purpose. I AM, however, using my laptop for contest logging to simplify the entry process. After the contests, logs are printed for insertion into my paper logs. This file replaces the 50-drawer file previously used.

Memberships include: ARRL Life Member, President of the Montcalm Area ARC, Past-president Ohio Valley ARA, Past-president Northern Ohio ARS, INDEXA, Heard Island DXA, and contributor to many DXpeditions, though I have never been an operator on one that is on my 'Bucket List'.

Two of the 80m verticals are now up. Sixty [60] radials now down and spread evenly around each tower. Third tower must wait until powerline is buried - hopefully SOON. It will be interesting to see how they play!

The photo above shows the coax connection at the base of one tower. Simple!