This is an ode to ham radio:

• because it’s been my most intense radio day since I got licensed, working seven out of eight call areas of mainland Australia;
• because I worked VK9X, Christmas Island;
• because I worked for the first time New Zealand;

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I think that, in a previous life, I should have belonged to a Signal Corps. Since I became an ham (my 1st year of license recurred in the last week), I’m convinced that a day without a radio on my shoulders is a lost day. But if the radio you’re carrying is a VHF, like my FT-290 IIR, there are a few chances to score nice receptions, or contacts, if you don’t climb as high as possible. Read more →

First the news: I had my first contact ever with an /AM (Aeronautical Mobile) station. It happened yesterday night, at 20.32 UTC, when DF1CHB/AM, officer onboard a Boeing 737-75B flying to Hurgada (Egypt), took some time to operate on 20 meters.  Plane’s altitude, at the moment, was 11300 meters (so, 37073 feet). When I started listening to Cyril, engaged in other QSOs, airliner Read more →

Being a ham since less than a year, I’m not so aware about how much felt are national contests. I can speak for Italy, as I took part already twice (at first as an SWL, and then as a real player) in “ARI 40/80″ and “Bande Basse Italia”, which usually take place between the end of the year, and the beginning of the new one. Then, it happened me to witness, on 15 meters, the joyful Read more →

As you can read in this post on DXCoffee.com, AU2JCB has been a special call from India (based in Ahmendagar, not far from Bombay), that ended yesterday its activity. I had the chance to catch Datta (VU2DSI) active yesterday afternoon, on 15 meters (21280 kHz). Pile-up from Europe wasn’t the hardest. Furthermore, propagational window seemed pretty open to Italy, as many “I” stations (especially from zone 2) Read more →