Active HF DXer and Contester on CW and SSB, all bands 10-160 meters, fairly often QRP (5 watts).

Frequent Updates to LOTW, ClubLog, and QRZ-Logbook.  If you feel there is a contact missing from my log, please send me an email and we'll get things straightened out.  Updates to BURO (high fees) and eQSL less often, no more than Quarterly.

Thank you VK0EK for DXCC #330 provided by their near-real-time upload to LOTW.

Thank you K0JV, Jerry, for Sout Dakota CW QSL to complete LOTW WAS CW.

My current goals:

1. Improve my CW Skill to Conversational Level
2. Improve my station on 80/160 Meters, add 6 Meters
3. Achieve DXCC Honor Roll (need one)
4. Achieve Triple Play WAS CW (need one)
5. Achieve DXCC on 160 meters (need ~30)
6. Begin HF Digital mode operation.

WAS Objectives:

     1. South Dakota on CW with LOTW QSL, 40 or 160 preferred.
     2. New Mexico and Oklahoma on 40 SSB.
     3. Kentucky, North Carolina and Vermont on 20 Meters.

Here are my ten most wanted, as of March 2016:

Links:

Space Weather Prediction Center: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/

Occasional technology blog experiment located here.

Background:

First licensed in early 1978 as WB3KTX, I was inactive until the US "Novice Enhancement" in 1987. Operating initially on the 220MHz FM band, the contacts made there generated a strong interest in HF band DXing. By the 1988 contest season, I was addicted to DXing and contest operation.  Antenna restrictions in the townhouse community where I lived made effective operations difficult, but I earned WAS 10m/SSB #43089, DXCC/CW #5606 and DXCC/SSB #17070 within one year using 70 watts and an indoor dipole.

In June 2000, after moving to a new QTH, I erected a 20-meter tower and installed an eight (8) element log periodic beam for 10-40-meter HF operation. Still running 100 watts, an outdoor antenna really made a world of difference. And during the 2000-2001 contest season, I was lucky to add an amplifier to the station equipment! I used a wire sloper on the tower  for 80m and 160m operation, but never really worked the kinks out of the sloper.

By 2004, awarded CQ/WAZ CW #421 and CQ/WAZ SSB #4918. By December 2004, completed collecting the QSLs for 10m through 80m DXCC, including WARC bands. Currenlty active on 10-80 meters both CW and SSB, mostly QRP. I have plans for a 60-meter band folded dipole in the attic, but I'm not active there yet.

In 2015, I decided to sharpen my operating skills, including my CW "copy" speed, by working Contests, Prefixes, IOTAs and QRP WAS and DXCC.  I filed for the CQ WPX Mixed (#3036), CQ WPX SSB (#3715) and CQ WPX CW (#3660) in May 2015 (all through LOTW).  Submitted for the CQ WPX Award for Excellence in June 2015.

Current station is composed of a Elecraft K3S #100-72, K-Line components and M2 LP8 "Skip" Log Periodic antenna.  I don't feel much impact from being limited to 500 watts (from the previous 1500 watts) except I have no complaints from the nearby neighbors.  So, I don't get to talk to them as often.

Member of Frankford Radio Club, INDEXA, QRP ARCI, FISTS, SKCC #14910, Flying Pigs and 10X.

Very active in QRP (under 5 watts).  My best distance-per-watt was my 1-watt contact with Soren, OZ1BCG, 2015-05-16 at 00:48Z on 20M SSB.  Yes, SSB.  That is 6,500 kilometers per watt.  My longest CW distance-per-watt was my 3-watt QSO with VI2ANCZ, 2015-05-14 at 00:57 on 12CW.  The 16,000 kilometer distance makes it over 5,000 kilometers per watt.  That was shortly after I worked the same station with 5 watts on 10CW.  That seems like a great time of day to operate QRP..

As of December 2015, I am back on 80 meters with a sloper mounted on the tower.  This is sloped to the northwest and seems to receive poorly in most directions, but somehow gets great reports from EU on 80 meters.  In November 2016, I worked to resolve 160m RF issues and it seems much better.  I will continue to try this band and see if I can work out all the kinks over the Winter 2016-17 contest season.  (I don't hear very well here, but I've gotten decent signal reports from non-DX stations.).

In April 2016, I received my DXCC Challenge #2,000 Medallian.  I'm not sure how long #2,500 will take, but let's hope I have the time.  It's the journey, anyway, isn't it?

Contesting:

Fun facts about contesting.  If you want to "place high", there are two ways to go.  The most obvious is to build a fantastic station, recruit fabulous operators and go all-out for the duration of the affair.  The second, less well known, method is to pick a category that fits your operating mood, and just do that.  Categories like "Single-Op Standing-On-Left-Foot" aren't yet available, but there are some others that get very few entries submitted.  In 2003, for example, I earned ninth-place world-wide in CQWW SSB by operating single-band 80 meters.  This was a far lower score than the 67th place I earned in 2002 Single-Op, High-Power, All-Bands.  In more recent contests, I've placed top-ten by selecting single-band and QRP.  It wasn't that I was trying to work-the-system, but rather if I knew I could operate two hours on Friday night and two hours on Saturday, where would those 200-400 QSO's do the most good in the standings.  My goal is to have some fun, get a little better and make it easier to find my results in the listings.  Oh, and by submitting my log, I make certain the "big guns" who made the effort to work me actually get the credit.  I've also submitted a CHECKLOG when I have something other than the contest in mind.  For example, if I use ASSISTED in a contest that doesn't permit it because I really need to find a certain country or state on a given band, that makes me a CHECKLOG and I'm fine with that.  We should all be honest about our operating conditions.

Equipment:

I started out on hand-me-down Heathkit with a general coverage receiver and a DX-40 transmitter, but the noise from an active electric trolley line made HF operation virtually impossible.  When I moved to a quieter location, I found a good deal on a Hammerlund receiver, transmitter and amplifier, but it was more than I could fit in the operating position, so I switched that out for a uswed Kenwwood TS-520S, ultimately adding the matching external VFO.  Next for me was a Kenwood TS-940, a Yeasu FT-1000MP,  and finally a TenTec Orion II.  My amplifiers in recent years included the Alpha 87A and the Alpha 9500, and my current Elecraft KPA-500.  I've always been limited to wire antennas until putting up the log periodic monster and I love having that massive thing on a tower.  Current station is the Elecraft K3S, KPA-500, KAT-500 and P3.  I use an M2 rotor controller and as much "instantly to frequency" automation as I can in the shack.

All the best to you, your family and your friends.  73, Byron