- The Battle at the IARU HF World Championship - KT7E

 

- The Battle at the IARU HF World Championship -

KT7E ( USA Oregon )

KT7E  USA KEVIN J LAHAIE PORTLAND RADIO CONTESTER CLUB 18655 SW CAMELOT LN HILLSBORO, OR 97123 USA QSL: QSL direct via QSL manager Andy KE7AUB Page managed by K7ZS Lookups: 65142

20260711 1359UTC 14006kHz CW KT7E 

JJ5IZX_Mako · 20260711 1359UTC 14006kHz CW KT7E

 JJ5IZX PADDLE                     5:34 - 6:36

It’s a 24-hour battle. Good luck, KEVIN san 73 : )

KT7E is now the club callsign for the Portland Radio Contester Club.  Previous callsign was KK7PR

We recently lost Joe Batty, a founding member of the club, and we are pleased to honor Joe's memory by adopting his callsign as our club call.  Thanks to the Batty Family for honoring our request to use his call in his memory.

The PDXRCC's mission statement is "RadioSport for the FUN of it".  We expose ham operators to radio contesting in a non intimidating and fun way at my station, where there is only one focus: teaching through example and a chance to witness AND operate a moderate station in the radio contests.

Look for us in the contests, and PROMOTE HAM RADIO in all it's many forms!

Vy 73

Kevin K7ZS

Trustee of KT7E

 

 

 

- The Battle at the IARU HF World Championship - VK9DX

- The Battle at the IARU HF World Championship -

VK9DX ( Norfolk Island )

VK9DX  Norfolk Island QSL via YT3D Nick Hacko Norfolk Island 2899 Australia Email: Use mouse to view.. Ham Member Lookups: 988000

20260711 1241UTC 7009kHz CW VK9DX

JJ5IZX_Mako · 20260711 2141UTC 7009kHz CW VK9DX

 JJ5IZY PC KEYING               1:58 - 4:58

 JJ5IZX PADDLE                     6:30 - 6:53

It’s a 24-hour battle. Good luck, Nick san 73 : )

My name is Nick Hacko. I have resided on Norfolk Island since 2021. The radio location is primarily designed as a contesting station, and it is still a work in progress. Currently, the antenna setup consists of a 5 el Yagi for 10m band, 4 el for 15m, 3el for 20m, 4 square for 40m, and a vertical for the 80/160m band. Also, I am active on 6m with a 6-element Yagi.

Contesting from the middle of the Pacific is extremely challenging. The nearest major centre of activity is Japan, roughly 8,000 km north-east of Norfolk Island. The US West Coast is about 10,500 km away, while the East Coast is more than 13,000 km. Moscow is approximately 15,000 km distant, and Berlin around 16,500 km. These are vast distances, meaning openings are always short and intense, and signals are often barely audible—especially on the low bands. VK9N is not PJ4,CN3 or EA8!

Nevertheless, I do enjoy contesting, and I have already won first place worldwide in the CQWW contest in several different categories.

2021. CQWW CW Single operator 40m band LP, #1 in the world, new all time Oceania record
2022. CQWW CW Sngle operator 40m band, #1 in the world
2024. CQWW CW Classic category SO All bands, #1 in the world, new all time Oceania record
2024. CQWW RTTY contest, SO 10m #2 in the world, new all time Oceania record
2024. Oceania DX SSB contest, SO 10m  #1 in the world
2025. CQWW RTTY contest, SOAB Classic #1 in the world, new all time Oceania record
2025. CQWW  SSB  SO 15m  Assisted  3,300 QSOs, new all time Oceania record
2025. CQWW CW  SOAB  Assisted  5440 QSOs,  8.379 mil points new all time Oceania record

I run a high-precision manufacturing business in Sydney, specialising in parts machined with sub-micron tolerances and exotic materials for the space, medical, optics, electronics, and scientific research industries. The bulk of production is waveguide amplifiers for 100 GHz+ and switches for 300 GHz+, as well as microfluidic modules with channels under 70 microns. Also, I am a third-generation watchmaker, and I design and manufacture mechanical wristwatches.

Need a paper QSL card for VK9DX or VK9A?

My QSL manager is my brother, YT3D. Please contact him directly. To receive a card, send USD $5 or 5 EUR . This is a real cost of QSLing, so please don't send lesser amounts.

Electronic confirmation

All contacts (more than 205,000 so far) are uploaded to ClubLog. ClubLog provides a 'free-for-all' QSO confirmation service. I am an active ClubLog  user and supporter.  

Need LoTW only?

Over the years more than 82,000 contacts were uploaded to LoTW for free, and hundreds of QSL cards were mailed. Want to save on postage? Need LoTW only? In a hurry? Or just wish to show your appreciation for a new one on a difficult band? Paypal USD $5 to vk9dx@clockmaker.com.au

Happy DXing

73 Nick   [VK2DX  VK1AA  YU7XX  H40XX  H44XX  VK9WI  VK9LX etc. ]

I love amplifiers

I’m mostly a collector and admirer. Australian rules limit output to 400W on sideband and 120W on CW/digital—not huge, but plenty if your Yagis sit on a remote island. On digital, I run 50W and still work everyone, even rare ones—not on first call, but regularly. Power isn’t the point. Amplifiers are.

I started building them at 16. First was a GG 2x813, later rebuilt to 4x813. Then QB5/1750, rebuilt to a pair of 1750s. First commercial amp: an old Dentron MLA2500 imported form Canada. Then a new Emtron DX2, upgraded to DX3. The grail? Creative Electronics CE-5000 with 3CX3000—6KW into the antenna effortlessly. Now in storage for 20+ years.

Wife hated the DX3 blower, so I bought an SPE 1.3K—quiet, but constant headaches. Three breakdowns, each repair $1K. SPE never again.  After moving to Norfolk, I needed a small, reliable, valve amp I could fix myself. OM Power 2000A+ fit perfectly. Later, bought a second 2000A+ as a spare. When I got the Felex 6600, I also bought PowerGenius PGXL, but since I rarely use Flex, the PGXL was turned on just for a photo opportunity.

When DXing closed in 2025, I was left with dozens of brand-new, unboxed amps. Could I have sold them? Maybe. Could I sell below cost? Never. Appreciative buyers are rare. Now I have:

• 2x ACOM 2000A, 2x ACOM 1500, 2x ACOM 2100 (all unboxed)

• 1 demo ACOM 2000A (5 hours)

• 9 OM Power amps: OM2000+, OM2000A+, OM2000, OM2501, OM2501HF, two OM4001s (auto/manual), 2 OM2002W

• and 3 more PGXLs (unboxed)

That’s 20+ amps and I still dream of one more: Alpha 77SX with a pair of 8877s, the ultimate nostalgia piece, an amplifier I could only dream about when I was a kid.  Maybe the last… or maybe not.

73,
Nick VK9DX

The result is the completion of WAJA.

 

The result is the completion of WAJA.

- soon I received email -

Dear Mako-san,

 

thank you very much for your kind and quick help.

 

I checked LoTW again and now I can see Kochi-ken / Aki-city correctly added to our QSO.

 

This was a very special confirmation for me, because Kochi was the last missing prefecture I needed to complete the JARL WAJA Award.

 

Thanks to your help, my WAJA is now complete and I have already sent my application to JARL.

 

I really appreciate your kindness. You made me very happy today!

 

Thank you again for the nice QSO and for your support.

 

Hope to meet you again on the bands.

 

Best 73 and good DX,

Paolo

IK3ITB

Italy

I am honored to have been of assistance.

See you again Paolo san 73 : )

20260710 .... I did it !!! (TQSL-Location edit + Reupload adif)

20260710  I did it ! (TQSL-Location edit + Reupload .adif)

Before it

After it

.*. add Prefecture & City/Gun/Ku

Now FIX case ... 

LoTW confirmation missing Japanese prefecture for WAJA

LoTW confirmation missing Japanese prefecture for WAJA

(IK3ITB Paolo)

Oneday .. I received an e-mail from IK3ITB

He said to me... 

Dear Mako-san,

 

thank you very much for the nice FT8 QSO and for confirming it on LoTW.

 

I am currently checking my confirmed Japanese QSOs for the JARL WAJA award, and your QSO is very important for me because your QRZ page shows Aki-city, Kochi Prefecture.

This is he got QSL on LoTW..

The QSO is already confirmed in LoTW, but in my LoTW ADIF report the Japanese prefecture / STATE field is missing.

 

May I kindly ask you whether the QSO was made from Kochi Prefecture?

 

If yes, and if it is not too much trouble, would it be possible to update your TQSL Station Location with the correct Japanese prefecture, Kochi / WAJA 39, and re-upload or refresh this QSO in LoTW?

 

This would help me very much for the WAJA award.

 

Thank you very much for your help and for the QSO.

 

Best 73,

Paolo Giardini // IK3ITB

OK I understand this case,,, I will tried check to TQSL.

I already try it for JJ5IZY TQSL-Location

Now edit for JJ5IZY`s TQSL-Location because .. 

Dear Paolo,

Thank you for your email.

To be honest, I hadn't even kept track of the specific details of the QSL cards I sent out. I am absolutely amazed that there are such dedicated enthusiasts out there attempting to earn JARL awards (WAJA) using LoTW.

I’m checking JJ5IZY(My Wife) TQSL location settings.

I’m not sure exactly how it works, but after adding a location and re-uploading all the logs, the prefecture and city names you wanted appeared on the IZY side, just as you described.

Now I’m at work, so I can’t access the TQSL setup on my home PC.

But I’m sure you’ll be smiling in a few hours.

Thanks for the great tip, Paolo  san.

I’m rooting for you to earn your WAJA award.

Best 73 : )                                                            

                                                                            JJ5IZX Mako

20260701 Arrived QSL YJ0GC ( Vanuatu )

20260701 Arrived QSL YJ0GC ( Vanuatu )

YJ0GC  Vanuatu DXpedition 2025 by Stan, LZ1GC Port Vila, Efate Island Vanuatu QSL: LZ1GC Email: Use mouse to view.. Ham Member Lookups: 99932

20251124 2256UTC 18070kHz CW YJ0GC

JJ5IZX_Mako · 20251124 2256UTC 18070kHz CW YJ0GC

20251128 1102UTC  14005kHz CW YJ0GC

JJ5IZX_Mako · 20251128 1102UTC 14005kHz CW YJ0GC

20251202 1007UTC 24891kHz CW YJ0GC

JJ5IZX_Mako · 20251202 1007UTC 24891KHZ CW YJ0GC

Screenshots of FT8 (30m)

Stan, LZ1GC will be active from Vanuatu as YJ0GC between 23 November and 5 December 2025.

The activity will be from Port Vila, Efate Island (IOTA OC - 035).

QSL requests (direct or bureau) via YJ0GC OQRS on Clublog or via LZ1GC address in QRZ.COM

More info about this activity on the website of YJ0GC DXpedition 2025 at:  www.c21gc.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://clublog.org/charts/?c=YJ0GC

 

 

 

Dear Stan san, I have finally received your QSL cards.

I thought.. you had many challenges during your operations. 

Your work is truly deserving of worldwide amateur radios.

Please show us your next dream...  73s           JJ5IZX Mako 

I apologize for the delay in sharing the QSL cards that arrived in May.

I apologize for the delay in sharing 

the QSL cards that arrived in May.

This envelope from Russia

3G0YR card

3G0YR QSO data

3G0YR Clublog Live screen

3G0YR  Easter Island DX-pedition to Easter Island Easter Island "26/11, 3/12" Isla de pascua Isla de Pascua Easter Island Ham Member Lookups: 102367

Many many thanks Pedition team. 

more 1 card

RI0SP Card

RI0SP QSO data

RI0SP  Asiatic Russia Oleg Y. Stribny Arctika Asiatic Russia QSL: RN3RQ Page managed by RN3RQ Lookups: 505384

Hi Oleg san .. You are very active Station on "POLE"

Many thanks contact 73 : )

20260624 Yesterday arrived QSL

20260625 Yesterday arrived QSL : ) 

Cheak QRZ ... Oh LoTW & QRZ Confirm!!

Many many thanks J51A team.

I congratulate you on your great success.

J51A  Guinea-Bissau DXpedition February/March 2026 DA1DX ex-DL6FBL, DK9IP, DL8LAS, DM5EE, DM6EE Bij Club, Bubaque Island, Bijagos Archipelago Guinea-Bissau QSL: DJ4MX, Club Log OQRS, NOQSOCC Email: Use mouse to view.. Page managed by DA1DX Lookups: 966342

J51A was on the air from 23-Feb-2026 thru 15-Mar-2026.
Many Thanks for more than 256.000 contacts in 20 days!

---

Ben ( DA1DX, ex-DL6FBL ), Win ( DK9IP ), Andree ( DL8LAS ), Uli ( DM5EE ) and Lutz ( DM6EE ) -
all active members of Bavarian Contest Club - were operating from Bij Club, Bubaque Island,
Bijagos Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau (AF-020) in February/March 2026.

---

• QSL cards / LotW confirmations
  (Scroll down for instructions)
  
  
  
  [Status Update: 16-Jun-2026]
   
  • The first 7.000 (direct) paper QSL cards have been processed on 13-14 June 2026.
  • All the letters were mailed out by "Deutsche Post" the day after.
    You should receive them as soon as your local mail company will deliver it...
  • All OQRS requests and donations that were received before 06-Jun-2026 were
    handled in that first batch.
  • Consequently, in the following months, more batches of cards will be processed.
  • LotW uploads for the OQRS requests have been done every two or three days.
  • Please note: You can also request Bureau QSL cards over ClubLog.

---

Claim your LotW confirmations and printed QSL card through Club Log OQRS here:

(Using Club Log OQRS together with PayPal, you will automatically receive a LotW
confirmation within 1-2 weeks, as well as a printed paper QSL card by regular mail
a few weeks/months later).

---

Quick Links:

Livestream | Log Search + OQRS | Statistics | News | Pictures | Guestbook | Donations

---

Find and follow us:

Tibi's tool ( HA8TKS ) will help you to find us on the bands:   [no longer active]

For news, updates, pictures etc. please remember to come back to our J51A QRZ.com page.
We use our own Starlink satellite equipment and hope to achieve good Internet connectivity for:

• Club Log Livestream  =>  [no longer active]
   
• Club Log Expedition Statistics  =>  https://clublog.org/charts/?c=J51A#r
   
• Donations via Club Log welcome  =>   https://clublog.org/make_donation.php?call=J51A
  
  日本からJ51Aにご寄付いただく際は，PayPalで bernd.fd@gmx.de 宛に直接ご送金いただけます．
  その際，（ローマ字で）お名前>とコールサイン を添えていただくようお願い致します．
  皆様 からのご支援に深く感謝申し上げます．
  
  Many Thanks for donations of 50+ EUR/USD go to:
  AA3LX, AA6AA, AC8CE, DF2IY, DH8BQA, DJ5FI, DJ5NN, DK2JW, DK3HV, DL1ALN,
  DL2AMD, DL2JRM, DL5RDP, DL6MRM, DL7ON, DL9OBU, DM2HK, EA3HSO, HB9BAS, JA8UIV,
  JE2HCJ, JH1RVQ, JN4MMO, JR7HAN, K1FIE, K3DFL, K6JJ, K6NR, K7EDX, K8AZ,
  K8EME, KD4CXQ, KD5M, KH6P, KI8JP, KM3T, N2AJ, N6PSE, N6XI, N8RAT,
  N9PGG, NF6S, OE3WWB, PH7PCF, PJ2/W2APF, SM7NKK, SP5EXA, VE7KW, VK3IU, VK5MAV,
  W6WF, W8WWV
   
• QSL cards / LotW  =>  Please use the Club Log OQRS system
  
  See above on this page for the online form or go to https://clublog.org/logsearch/J51A .
  (Using Club Log OQRS together with PayPal, you will automatically receive a LotW
  confirmation within 1-2 weeks, as well as a printed paper QSL card by regular mail
  in June/July 2026.)

---

Our recent DXpedition history:

Have we worked before? :-)
All contacts are on LotW, but you can still request a paper QSL, if you want...

3G0YA April/May 2024 140.000 contacts	PX0FF October 2024 159.000 contacts	VP2VI April 2025 173.000 contacts

---

Radio and Antenna Setup:

Radio Setup:

• 5 x Yaesu FT-DX10
• 5 x RF-POWER RF2K-S amplifier

Antennas:

• 5-band Spiderbeam (10/12/15/17/20m) @10mH
• 3-band WARC Spiderbeam (12/17/30m) @10mH
• DXCommander Vertical 12.4 from 10-40m
• Inverted-V for 60m
• Vertical for 80m / Inverted-L for 160m
• Two "Loop on Ground" RX antennas for 80/160m (by DL8LAS)
• 4-ele 50 MHz Yagi for terrestrial operation
• VA6AM Triplexers + VA6AM/4O3A High Power Bandpass Filters

DXLog software in a wired Gigabit-Network (no WiFi!) - using TCP and a dedicated DXLog server
FT8 by MSHV software => stay above 1000Hz when calling/working us!

The total weight of our equipment is ~600 kg.
Everything is transported as (paid) excess baggage on the aircraft.

---

Location and Takeoff:

• Our location (IK21BH) is right on the northern shore of the island,
  with an unobstructable clear shot over water to all activity centers worldwide.
  (The profile picture on the top of this page shows the view to our QTH from North.)
• There is no public electricity on site. We will be running on generator most of the time.
  (If we ever disappear from one second to the other, probably there is an issue
  with the generator (refueling, oil service, cooling down, defects...)).
• There is also a solar power system on the property.
• We hope that the local noise situation will be OK.
  (At least there aren't any public (LED) streetlamps... :-)

---

Our goals:

On Club Log, Guinea-Bissau is ranking as #84 Most Wanted country worldwide;
#53 from Asia; #99 from North America and #102 from Europe.

According to Club Log the demand is highest on Data, then CW and then Phone.
All of us can manage pile-ups in any mode, however we will only use SSB, CW and FT8.

• The highest demand is in Asia. Direction-wise, Asia lies "behind Europe".
  We will try to pull out Asian stations whenever there is some propagation on a specific band.
• Contacts with Europe, North America and South America will be easy on all bands.
• We will not forget about our friends in Africa and the VK/ZL area.

---

Thank you!

A big, big THANK YOU to the Club Log people for providing the best DXpedition support tools!
A big, big THANK YOU to the DXLog people for providing the best DX and Contest logging software!
A big, big THANK YOU also to ARN and the local people (Jean, Manu, Isabel and their team) who are
doing a great job to make our activity so much enjoyable.

---

Guestbook:

You are welcome to leave a message (scroll down). If you fill in your E-Mail address, we can reply.

---

News Section: (newest one on top)

• [20-Mar-2026 1830z]:
  All of the team have returned home well, and so did all material. After some badly needed
  Jägerschnitzel :-) last night, today we have worked on all "Busted Calls" and "Missing Data"
  E-Mails and Guestbook entries. We evaluated all inquires and were able to approve most
  of them. However, we had to refuse a few requests where we couldn't find any similar
  callsigns in a "+/- 10 minutes window" from the given timestamp – or some FT8 contacts
  for which we checked our "full text files", but couldn't find a valid sequence of reports
  and RR73 messages.
  
  Before that, we merged all the DXLog files from our five station computers as well as
  our dedicated DXLog / Club Log Livestream Update Server. Based on a final, overall
  total of 255,002 QSOs in the DXLog TCP network, only 13 contacts had NOT been
  received on our local server (= 0,005% !!!). That means that the DXLog TCP network
  was running almost 100% perfect!!!
  
  On the next step (from our DXLog Server over Starlink satellites down to Club Log)
  about 500 QSOs were lost (only 0,2% !!!), which have been added to the Club Log
  database during the latest synchronization. We are grateful to Starlink for their reliable
  service which helped a lot to keep the DX community informed about our progress.
  
  On top of those numbers are the "QO-100 satellite" contacts: They were logged on a
  separated DXLog computer, which was not part of our regular DXLog network.
  That other computer had a special intermediate software installed (created by DG8MG,
  with thanks to DK6SP), which added the additional ADIF fields for satellite operation
  to the QSOs before sending them over ClubLog Livestream.
  
  Therefore, we would now call the J51A log "final".
  The numbers visible on the Club Log Statistics should be regarded "final", too.
  J51A finally claims 256,183 QSOs with 49,878 different callsigns!
  
  THANKS AGAIN to everybody who worked J51A and helped making our activity a great success.
  If you want quick LotW confirmation and a Paper QSL card by regular mail, please use the
  "Club Log OQRS system" on our J51A QRZ.com page.

• ---

• [15-Mar-2026 1200z]:
  J51A is now QRT.
  In just under 20 days of operation we have logged 255,640 QSOs and 49,700 different callsigns.
  We want to say THANK YOU to everybody who helped making our trip such a great experience.
  First of all, the team around Jean and his wife Isabel from Bij Club - our location on Bubaque
  Island, Bijagos Archipelago, Guinea-Bissau. They perfectly understood our needs and were always
  willing to help and support us. The pile-ups were still going strong on the last day, so you may
  consider coming to this wonderful place for another DXpedition or maybe a Contest participation?
  On their website you'll find all the details and a lot of nice pictures around other activities
  like ornithology or fishing.
  QSL cards and LotW confirmations:
  You are invited to use the "Club Log OQRS system", as shown on the J51A QRZ.com page.
  Our QSL Manager Sven, DJ4MX, has been very quick uploading OQRS requests to LotW recently.
  Please note that Sven is now on DXpedition, too, operating from S21WD. Upcoming LotW uploads
  may take a few days longer than before. Please be patient! Paper QSL cards will be sent out
  in June/July 2026.
  Many Thanks for all the contacts. We hope that you enjoyed the J51A activity as much as we did.

• ---

• [15-Mar-2026 0900z]:
  254,200 QSOs and 49,600 different callsigns after 19.7 days of operation.
  "The end is near!" - the final hours of the J51A activity are running. We will take down antennas
  after breakfast (around 1200z) and start packing our equipment. Remember, we are five people
  travelling with 18 suitcases, two oversize ski-bags, six pieces of hand luggage (containing the
  Band Pass Filters and Triplexers) and five back-packs (containing the radios and power supplies).
  That sums up to 600 kg gross weight.

• ---

• [14-Mar-2026 1310z]:
  247,000 QSOs and 48,300 different callsigns after 18.9 days of operation. Still 1 day to go.
  The last 24 hours of the J51A DXpedition have started! We had QO-100 sessions in SSB/CW earlier
  today at 1000z and 1200z with some FT8 in between. Tomorrow morning (Sunday) at 1000z we will
  be on QO-100 for the last session. Tonight (Saturday) after 1800z we will be on 40/SSB, and
  after 1900z on 80/SSB and 60/CW. Earlier this afternoon we'll do some 20/CW, however, when 6m
  is open, 6m will have precedence over 20/CW. During daylight, we'll populate the higher bands.
  And in the night on 160/CW we will give out our grid "IK21" to Stew Perry contest participants.
  Please note that E-Mails regarding busted calls or missing data will be worked on only after we
  have returned home to Germany.

• ---

• [13-Mar-2026 1150z]:
  235,500 QSOs and 46,100 different callsigns after 17.9 days of operation. Still 2 days to go.
  After 16 consecutive days with more than 10,000 QSOs per day, yesterday was the first day with
  less than 10,000 QSOs. We are spending more time on "difficult" band slots like 160/CW,
  60/CW, 80/SSB, 40/SSB and 6 meters. The rates are lower, but many ATNOs and fresh callsigns
  in the log make up for it. We'll continue to fill in empty spots as good as we can.

• ---

• [11-Mar-2026 1230z]:
  217,300 QSOs and 42,400 different callsigns after 15.9 days of operation. Still 4 days to go.
  Last night we surpassed the magic number of 213,022 QSOs, set by T32C in 2011.
  The T32C team has sent a nice E-Mail with congratulations. Looking at many more E-Mails
  and guestbook entries, we feel that we have delivered a good show so far and made a lot
  of people happy with one or more ATNOs in their logs.
  Nevertheless, we'll keep on operating from this wonderful place.

• ---

• [10-Mar-2026 1250z]:
  206,700 QSOs and 40,700 different callsigns after 14.9 days of operation. Still 5 days to go.
  A first heads-up regarding the end of our operation: Sunday, 15-March-2026, around 1200z.
  We will dismantle Lowband and RX antennas first, keeping the Spiderbeams up a little longer.

• ---

• [09-Mar-2026 1310z]:
  196,400 QSOs and 38,500 different callsigns after 14 days of operation. Still 6 days to go.
  During ARRL DX SSB Contest we started operating SIMPLEX which has worked well.
  From now on we will decide "on the fly" if we operate SSB in "split mode" (listening up)
  or "simplex mode" (listening on our own frequency). Please listen carefully for the
  instructions from our operators! For CW, we will continue "listening up"!
  We appreciate every contact, but if you have already worked us on a band/mode slot like 10m SSB,
  please don't call us again on that same slot (="dupe contact"). Of course, you are welcome to
  call us on other band/mode slots where we didn't have a contact yet!
  Everything else is working fine. Please keep the QSOs coming!

• ---

• [08-Mar-2026 1240z]:
  185,200 QSOs and 36,000 different callsigns after 12.9 days of operation. Still 7 days to go.
  Operation is progressing well and everyone is in good spirits. There's not much more to report.
  In this case, no news is good news... :-)

• ---

• [07-Mar-2026 1250z]:
  174,500 QSOs and 33,600 different callsigns after 11.9 days of operation. Still 8 days to go.
  Operating is getting more complicated for us. On small bands like 12m SSB the wide 3Y0K pileups
  leave no space for other DXpeditions or regular QSOs. Other bands like 15m SSB are full with
  ARRL DX Contest. Here we tried to evade below 21200 kHz, but not many callers down there...
  On 6 meters we identified the root issue why we felt that we hear 10 dB less than we transmit.
  Now we are waiting for a good 6m opening. Btw, we didn't find a 6m opening to W/VE yet,
  but we have reached a few stations from the Caribbean.
  Tonight and tomorrow we will be on 40/SSB and 80/SSB around European sunset and then,
  later in the night, for W/VE.

• ---

• [06-Mar-2026 1250z]:
  164,500 QSOs and 31,600 different callsigns after 10.9 days of operation. Still 9 days to go.
  Yesterday around 1700z there was a generator outage (30 minutes). Apart from that, operation
  is going on smoothly.
  About missing QSOs / busted callsigns: We will work on those messages on or after Monday.
  ARRL SSB Contest this weekend: J51A will not actively take part in the contest. W/VE stations
  giving their state will receive a "59 500" report in return.
  Many thanks for all contacts so far! Keep the QSOs coming!

• ---

• [04-Mar-2026 1300z]:
  142,200 QSOs and 26,600 different callsigns after 8.91 days of operation. Still 11 days to go.
  Yesterday we repaired the neighbor's water pump which was full of sand and the motor was stuck.
  As a bad coincidence that problem had only started after the neighbor was kind enough to let
  us stop their solar power system... Unfortunately that construction is a big mess and we told
  them that the problem can come back at any time, because the water level in the dwell is
  simply too low and the pump is sitting too close to the bottom.
  There was not any 6 meters opening yesterday. Today it may look better again.
  All bands are progressing well and we will put more time on 60/CW, 40/CW, 40/SSB for example.
  We will also start 80/SSB some time. However, we will not offer 160/SSB and 60/SSB.

• ---

• [02-Mar-2026 2130z]:
  124,600 QSOs and 23,800 different callsigns after 7.24 days of operation. Still 13 days to go.
  Today was kind of a maintenance day. Some lowband RX antennas were improved.
  And we solved an annoying noise problem which had only started on Saturday. We found out
  that the neighbor had installed a new solar system. He was kind enough to understand our
  problem and let us check his new system. We found a cheap inverter and two 12V battery packs
  as a buffer. By just switching the inverter off, all the noise was gone...
  We could have started playing ferrites or other things, but it was easier to convince the
  neighbor to keep his system switched off for the next two weeks and receive his electricity
  over a temporary 3x2.5 cable from our generator instead...
  On 6 meters we caught two more openings to Europe, but still not reaching deep into Central,
  Northern or Eastern Europe.

• ---

• [01-Mar-2026 0020z]:
  100,000 QSOs after 5.33 days of operation (129 hours), averaging 18,760 contacts per day.
  Best days were the second day (25,000+ contacts) and the third day (20,000+ contacts).
  Today we worked the first 137 CW contacts over QO100 satellite, plus some 100 more FT8.
  As a nice surprise, 6 meters opened into Europe this afternoon. Some 600+ contacts were
  made, bringing the 6 meters totals up to 751 (FT8), 460 (CW) and 207 (SSB).
  The opening covered the southern half of France and most of Italy, Spain and Portugal.
  A couple of G, EI, HB9, DL, OE, 9A, S5 made it in the log, too.
  Don't worry, if you feel that one or more "band/mode slots" are still "under-represented".
  Remember that we are still here for another 15 full days!

• ---

• [27-Feb-2026 1020z]:
  73,900 QSOs after 3.79 days of operation.
  The QO100 satellite station is working! 500 QSOs in the log so far.
  As a nice surprise, a few JAs made it on 160m FT8 (in the 2100z hour). We keep on trying.
  Last evening the generator had a small hiccup. The technician came and replaced a part in the
  fuel system. As announced earlier, today around 1100z he'll come again and give a checkup
  and oil service to the generator. We'll use this scheduled downtime (about an hour) for a
  walk to the nearby beach and a swim (we haven't been there yet... ;-) )

• ---

• [26-Feb-2026 1250z]:
  61,300 QSOs after 69 hours of operation.
  Today we are relocating the BOG RX antenna and the DXCommander vertical (used for 40m).
  They are picking up too much of the 50 Hz noise from the neighbor's property.
  When the signals get weaker in the coming days, that noise will be too annoying.
  We are also working on the QO-100 satellite installation.

• ---

• [25-Feb-2026 1510z]:
  47,000 QSOs after 47 hours of operation.
  We are all in good mood. So far, we have uninterrupted electricity from the generator
  since the beginning. Let's keep fingers crossed... On Friday, the owner will perform a
  scheduled maintenance and oil service on the generator which shall last about an hour.
  We are very happy with the QTH and all people on site. There is no air condition in the
  small houses. We keep all doors and windows open all the time, even at night. We are
  very fortunate that there are hardly any insects around. Temperature in the shack (with
  all five radio setups in full swing) is 33-34 °C over the day and 27-28 °C in the night.

• ---

• [24-Feb-2026 1710z]:
  25.000 QSOs after the first 24 hours of operation (plus about 50 QSOs on 50 MHz FT8
  which were logged two hours earlier while still setting up the other operating positions).
  We already logged more that 5.000 QSOs in CW. Only some 100+ SSB QSOs yet.
  Many more CW and SSB to come in the coming days, don't worry...
  Antenna-wise, today the combined 160m/80m antenna went up as well as the Aziloop
  RX antenna and a BOG (Beverage-on-ground). We also found and replaced a defective
  PL259 "barrel" in the coax to the 60m Inverted Vee. On 40m we detected some
  man-made noise (50 Hz) from the neighboring property. We will go there shortly and
  discuss with the owner. Later on we shall clean up the place, stow away all the things
  we don't need and finally be ready for a smooth 24/7 operation.

• ---

• [23-Feb-2026 1800z]:
  Today, the second Spiderbeam (30/17/12m) went up, the 4-ele 50 MHz Yagi went up and
  we did some minor improvements on our yesterday's work. At 1507z today I just pressed
  the CQ button on 50 MHz FT8 once and was instantly answered by an EA and IK0. Although
  the other radio setups were not fully tested yet, I kept 50 MHz FT8 running. You never
  know, if the magic band will ever come back again... ;-) The other four radio setups
  started running CW after 1708z. We hope that you will like our operation over the coming
  three weeks.

• ---

• [22-Feb-2026 2310z]:
  Internal station setup almost ready, just missing the bandpass filter installation.
  Antennas completed today: One Spiderbeam to be used on 20/15/10m; DXCommander Vertical
  to be used on 40m; 60m Inverted Vee. More antenna setup tomorrow after sunrise.
  Operation will start some time tomorrow (Monday, 23-Feb) afternoon or evening.

• ---

• [22-Feb-2026 1345z]:
  Team has safely arrived in their QTH after an exciting two-hour speedboat ride.
  This update was already sent over our Starlink connection which seems to work fine.
  We have started unpacking and sorting our luggage. Other things on the agenda for
  today are: connecting our own power subdistribution unit to the property's generator
  and solar power system; defining the exact locations for our antennas; preparing the shack:
  setting up the five HF stations, filters/triplexers and internal cabling.
  If things are going well, we may be able to get some antennas up before dark.
  Depending on our antenna work, you can expect first signals tonight, Sunday, 22-Feb-2026
  after dark or some time on Monday, 23-Feb-2026.
  We will activate HA8TKS's frequency tool and Club Log Livestream right from the beginning.
  Check back to our QRZ.com page regularly.

• ---

• [16-Feb-2026 0945z]:
  J51A on QO-100: We were asked to be active on QO-100 satellite, too.
  We learnt that J5 has NEVER been active on QO-100 before. So, we decided to give it
  a try for a lot of ATNO contacts on SSB, CW and FT8. However, none of us has operated
  over satellite before. Please bear with us if we do something stupid or unexpected.
  Just let us know by E-Mail ( j51a@gmx.de ) and we’ll fix any misbehavior a.s.a.p.
  Technically, we will use 50 MHz as the IF band. It means that we cannot do 50 MHz
  when on QO-100, and vice versa. QO-100 operation will start a couple of days after
  the other bands. Please watch the "News" section on www.qrz.com/db/J51A for more info.

• ---

• [02-Feb-2026 0900z]:
  ARRL has approved the J51A license for DXCC. We already received the LotW certificate.
  The original license document from "ARN" (telecommunications authority) was not
  100% clear about frequencies and modes. In a second step, we offered the official
  IARU Region 1 Band Plans (HF and VHF) and asked for a reconfirmation that all
  typical frequencies and modes can be used by J51A. We are happy to announce that
  we have received that confirmation. It means that all contacts, including 160m, 60m,
  the WARC bands and 50 MHz will be valid for DXCC, IOTA and other awards.

---

Pictures Section: (click to enlarge)

   
(1) Arriving with our luggage at Bissau Airport
(2) These small boats shall bring us to Bubaque Island (70km trip over open water)
(3) And off we go... (DM5EE, DL8LAS, DK9IP, DA1DX); DM6EE is on the second boat...
(4) Spiderbeam #1 overlooking the bay (to be used on 20m, 15m, 10m)

   
(5) Spiderbeam #2 (to be used on 30m, 17m, 12m)
(6) Both Spiderbeams in the same picture
(7) The 4-ele 50 MHz Yagi on a 6m long waterpipe right next to our shack
(8) The DXCommander 12.4 Vertical (to be used on 40m and as a backup antenna for other bands)

   
(9) Overlooking the bay towards Europe and Japan
(10) Overlooking the bay towards North America
(11) Ditches to prevent other people around stepping on our coax cables
(12) The J51A shack (empty place=DA1DX making the photo, DK9IP, DM5EE, DM6EE, DL8LAS)

   
(13) Operating positions #1 (DL8LAS) and #2 (DM6EE)
(14) Operating positions #3 (DM5EE) and #4 (DK9IP) and some cables... ;-)
(15) Band Pass Filter and Triplexer installation
(16) Power Sub Distribution unit (3-phase 380V to 8x EU-Schuko) and cable path on the floor

   
(17) Combined 160m + 80m antenna (vertical part in the back, end of horizontal 160m part in front
(18) Feedpoint of the 160/80m antenna (using the same radials)
(19) The Aziloop RX antenna
(20) Our Starlink (Mini) sitting on his chair. We also brought the bigger Standard version
    (higher antenna gain), but it can stay in his suitcase...

   
(21) Our QO100 satellite antenna sitting on his chair
(22) DK9IP is happy. He's got the QO100 station running
(23) 100,000 QSOs in the log! (Sunday, 01-Mar-2026, 0020z, after 5.33 days of operation)
(24) The local generator, so far working very well without any problem

---