And now for something completely different…

Last Summer I took my vanity call (OH2HA) into use and decided to try how long it would take to work 200 countries again starting from zero. First time it took 35 years with my other call (OH2BSC).

The goal was achieved on April 8th 2014, in 9 months. All qso’s were made on 100W, most of them with my trusty 15+ year old FT-1000MP. The main contributors were better antenna (6 element log periodic Tennadyne T6) and more extensive use of CW (1/3 of  countries were on CW). Maybe I even have learned something about working DX. Solar cycle 24 certainly helped, but I’ve seen better sunspot numbers in the past. Still I think the most important contributor was, that during the last 5 years my hamshack has been computerized.

CQRLOG logging SW controls my rigs and with the integrated dxcluster it’s really fast to chase new countries and keep track on missing ones. It’s also a memory keyer and is able to send CW directly from the keyboard.

Online VOACAP helps to optimize frequencies and times for contacts. Since I’m no longer tied to clock, I can utilize this information more efficiently.

I got 40 unique new DXCC countries while working 200 DXCC’s for the second time, hence the title. Still 100 to go. How to get there? Maybe I have to dig up my pre-owned HF amplifier I’ve had for years but never used. Maybe I have to improve my antenna system somehow (bigger, higher, …). Maybe I have to expand the computerization by adding automatic antenna switching and rotator control. Nice to have options! But I’ll definitely continue chasing DX’s and enjoying every minute of it.