Hello Dr friend! Thanks a lot for QSO! My name is Raul and my callsign CO8ZZ, formerly CL8ZZ, when I received my very first HAM license back in 1993 as a novice station, despite I really started in 1991, but without an official license. In 1994 I have got the second class license as CM8ZZ and finally, CO8ZZ in 1995 which is my current callsign as first class HAM station in Cuba. I love DXing and contesting in SSB and CW but prefer the second one. My very first contest was 1994 CW WPX when I made abt 190 QSOs on 40 meters, low power, I finished with a big pain in my fist cause I used a straight key! …HI… however it was great, in fact, never stopped till the present times, holding several Cuban records in CQWW’s and ARRL’s which are my preferred contests. During my first years as a ham (including 1994 WPX contest) I always used a Doble Side Band radio made by myself, the so called "Islander". My best contesting results are:

• 1999’s CQWW CW 9th place World SOSB 28 LP
• 2000’s ARRL CW 2nd place World SOSB 3.5
• 2000’s ARRL SSB 2nd place World SOSB 3.7 (Continental leader)
• 2000’s CQWW SSB 10th place World SOSB 14 LP
• 2000’s CQWW CW 2nd place World SOSB 7 LP
• 2001’s ARRL SSB 1st place World SOSB 3.7 (Continental leader)
• 2001’s CQWW CW 8th place World SO LP
• 2001’s WAEDC CW 8th place World SO
• 2002’s ARRL 10 2nd place World CW LP
• 2002’s ARRL RTTYRU 8th place World Division lider
• 2003’s ARRL RTTYRU 3rd place World
• 2003’s ARRL 10 2nd place World CW LP (Continental leader)
• 2003’s ARRL SSB 3rd place World SOSB 3.7
• 2004’s ARRL SSB 9th place World SOSB 15 (Continental leader)
• 2004’s WPX SSB 8th North America SOSB HP 21
• 2004’s CQWW CW 5th North America SOSB HP 7
• 2007’s CQWW CW 2nd north America SOSB 3.5
• 2008’s CQWW SSB 8th North America SOSB 14
• 2008’s CQWW CW 6th north America SOSB 3.5
• 2009’s ARRL 10 9th place world CW LP (Continental lider)
• 2009’s CQWW SSB 5th place world SOSB 7
• 2009’s ARRL CW 6th place world SOSB 3.7
• 2009's ARRL 10 9th place world CW only low power (Continental Leader),
• 2009's CQWWDX SSB 5th place world SOSB 40 low power,
• 2011's CQWWDX SSB 1st place world SOSB 40 low power,
• 2011's CQWWDX CW 1st place world 3.5 low power,
• 2012's ARRL CW 2nd place world SOSB 3.5.
• 2012's CQWWDX SSB 8th place world SOSB 7 high power
• 2013's ARRL SSB 4th place world SOSB 7 (Continental Leader)
• 2013's ARRL CW 10th place world SOSB 3,5
• 2013’s CQWW DX CW 2^nd Place World MM (HK1NA)
• 2014’s ARRL CW 8^th Place World 7 mHz
• 2014’s ARRL SSB 8^th Place World MS HP (T48K)
• 2014’s CQWW DX CW 2^nd Place World MM (HK1NA)
• 2015's ARRL SSB 3rd Place World MS (T48K)
• 2016's ARRL CW 3rd Place World M2 (T48K)
• 2016's ARRL SSB 2nd Place World SO Unlimited Low Power
• 2016's CQWW SSB 8th Place World M2 (T48K)

 I was operator in the following multi-operator stations:

• CO8RCT 1991-1993 (Club Station)
• CO0RCT 1996 WPX CW (MS)  
• T48RCT 1997 (Before/after-T49C CQWW CW Operation)  
• T49C 1997 CQWW CW (MM)  
• CO9KAA 2000 (Club Station)
• T48K All operations on HF and VHF.
• T40C 2009 IARU Championship FRC HQ Station  
• T48RRC 2013 IOTA expedition to NA218
• T49C 2013 IARU Championship FRC HQ Station  
• HK1NA 2013 CW CQWW DX Contest
• T49C 2014 IARU Championship FRC HQ Station
• HK1NA 2014 CW CQWW DX Contest
• T40HQ 2015 IARU Championship FRC HQ Station
• T48G 2015 Special event celebrating 35th anniversary of Grupo DX de Cuba foundation
• CO90IARU Jubilee Cuban Station for the 90th Anniversary of IARU
• T40A Contest Call

I’m one of the founders of “Las Tunas Contest Crew” (together with CO8DM and CO7RR, former CO8JY), name we gave to our Radioclub’s (CO9KAA) contest group. We always use the special call T48K in all our operations since 2001 when participated for the very first time in a ARRL CW as Multi-single entry getting the 6th place world. After that, we took part in several CQWW’s, ARRL’s and WPX’s editions, including several of them with foreigner guest operators: with my friends David/OK1DTP and his father Jiri/OK1TD during 2004 CQWW DX SSB, with Hugo/F5FYO during 2013 CQWW WPX SSB Contest, with Kenneth/OZ1IKY and Pekka/OH2TA during 2016 ARRL CW and with Bill/K1MM, Ed/K1EP, Van/W2DLT and Charlie/K1XX during CQWW SSB 2016. I really started my active life on DX since 1998, when have got my very first multiband radio (Kenwood TS-130s), all my previous activity was only on 40 meters (my favorite band) thanks to a DSB homebrew RIG that I built between 1991 and 1993 besides just few contacts on other bands from time to time, using my club station and friend’s. Since 1999 my QSL manager and friend is Erhard/DK1WI, an extremely serious QSL manager (only for me, my wife and T48K’s operations…HI!!) my former manager was AD4Z/HI3K. I have actually, 306 DXCC’s confirmed entities despite of I have over 320 worked. My wallpaper collection include: DXCC, IOTA, WAC, WAS, WAE, Holyland Award, Cuba, America, Caribe, GDXC, Tabarca, DLD 100 on 10, 12, 20 and 40 meters, etc. I’m member of Federación de Radioaficionados de Cuba, Grupo DX de Cuba, DXXE, Grupo Juizforano de CW, Croatian Telegraphy Club, Russian Robinson Club, CQCW Club and CWops. My work conditions on HF are an ICOM IC756PROIII, my old Kenwood TS-130s and a power amplifier Collins 30L-1 running into two elements monoband yagi on 15 and 10, loop on 40, sloper dipole on 80 and a GP on 20 meters. Yaesu FT-23 on 2 meters local repeater (145.130 -600). I was born in Las Tunas on December 4th 1969, the same town where actually I’m living. Married since 1997 with Delmita/CO8DRG, we have two sons: Ian (was born in 2001) and Xavier (was born in 2003), who already examined for Ham license and got the callsign CL8ZA. My current job is TV photographer in our local TV station “Tunasvisión” besides, I’m graduated from Physics culture and sports master degree. Actually I’m active in the following modes: CW, SSB, RTTY, mainly during contest and PSKs  from time to time. If u have the chance to visit Cuba and Las Tunas, I’ll would really like to have a meeting as I made with many HAMs from Cuba and another countries during all these years. My telephone number at home is 31348410 and my QTH is really easy to find just one block from Central Park in Las Tunas downtown, u can contact me by e-mail to: co8zz@frcuba.cu Thanks very much once agn fer our last QSO and hope to do it many more times in the future. 73s DX! Raúl/CO8ZZ

http://www.facebook.com/raul.verdecie

I also invite u to visit my personal blog at: http://xavian2016.cubava.cu/