DOK X10
Hello, thanks for checking DM3XI.
My name is Klaus and I was born in 1939 in Thuringia, in the centre of Germany. I grew up in the now "deleted country" GDR. The first time I heard radio amateurs was on grandmothers’ old tube radio in AM on 40 and 20 meters. The opportunity to get in contact across the world with other people regardless of nationality, race, religion or political views inspired me.
One day, during a demonstration by radio amateurs in our school, someone asked me whether I want be interested in taking the examination for an amateur licence. The only problem: this examination took place only one week later and I had to learn telegraphy at 60 letters per minute. During the cw-test I was terrified of an unknown Morse sign which appeared about 10 times. Every times it came, I wrote a horizontal stroke. Wondering about the result since there were only two permitted errors, I checked the sign. It was the separation sign and, without knowing it, I had written the correct symbol…. So I was licensed at the young age of 14.
In 1957, I made my first CW QSO with OK1KTS from Sokolov at the station and on the side of DM2ABK, Karl Rothammel, the author of the famous antenna-book.
I got the call DM3XI and built up a club station at a school in Arnstadt 1959. My first transmitter was a modified ship's radio station.
In 1961, we moved the club station into one of the Stations of Young Technicians and Scientists, which then existed in almost every major city. These were institutions of public education in which parents could send their children free of charge to practise various and interesting pastimes.
There young peoble with different interests, including electronics, amateur radio, aircraft and ship model makers, beekeepers, astronomers, etc. met eachother to exercise their hobbies. At our clubstation a series of newcomers were trained to get their amateur licence. In addition to that, we have also successfully participated in contests, including several first places in the CQ-Mir, W/VE-, YV- and WWDX-contest, achieving various awards and admission to the DM-DX Club between 1970 and 1977.
With the construction of a new station and a Cubical Quad, made of bamboo poles and a 500-watt PA with 6x LS50 we
modernised the club station. Since in the GDR there was almost no amateur radio equipment to purchase, all the equipment was homebrewed. But the procurement of special components was not easy.
For a "Rothammel", a then desirable object, I received from a West German radio amateur a tube RS1003 for the final stage of the transmitter. Even the computer AC1 I built myself.
In 1980, the amateurs within the GDR were allocated the Y prefix. I received Y43ZI (club) and Y26FI (private).
In 1989, with the change and the end of the GDR so took place the disposal of the Station of Young Technicians and Scientists and that resulted in the demise of the club station too.
With the reunification of Germany, I received the new call sign DL6AXI.
In 1998, I successfully applied for my original call DM3XI.
I prefer to work in telegraphy on 160 up to 6m and love to work DX. My station consists of an FT920 
barefoot (100watts), a 2-element quad antenna for 6, 10 and 15m and a 69m horizontal loop for the low and WARC bands using an auto ATU. For QRP I use a NorCal 40A on 40 and a Green Mountain on 10 Meters.
My other hobbies are collecting different types of electronic tubes, photography, hiking, travelling and the chronicle of our local association of Arnstadt X10 of DARC.
I hope to meet you on the band again.
Klaus, DM3XI
