[ADXA] The ZS8 Adventure

Sat May 10 16:22:39 EDT 2025

Stan, and Joel, thanks for taking the time to write these emails which kind of sums up the pursuit of ZS8W whether successful or not. I'm still in pursuit of Most Wanted #11. It is always good to see or hear an ADXA callsign that break the massive pileup.  Congratulations to all that have.

Randy/W5ZJ

On Sat, 10 May, 2025 at 4:08 AM, Jay Bromley <jayw5jay at outlook.com> wrote:

To: w5znjoel at gmail.com; 'adxa'

HI ADXA folks and new DXers,
I was going to send my thoughts on this, but Joel beat me to it most of what I was going to say.  I am glad Joel was first, as he is a better writer/ambassador than I am, hi.  Please overlook my typos!  

While I was bored the other night when I made this attached jpg.  I could have done the same jpg with 40m CW!  Normally if I zoom in on one of SDRs I can see each individual FT8 signals.  Notice there is hardly any space left for an FT8 signal!!  Some are on top of others.  Then understand we are not seeing everyone calling.  Mind-blowing for sure!

Joel is right, lack of good prop and tons of folks chasing right now with a near top 10 "Most Wanted DX".  Some of these want-a-be DXers will go away once we head into the solar minimum.  Some chasing DX always leave the room when it is not so easy.  So, keep going and keep your powder dry, hi.  I kept going at the solar minimums and with wire antennas during most of my DXing career!  I only had up a few small yagis here and there.  Most of the time I was on wire because life gets in the way.  I know more than a few that are Number 1 on the Honor Roll with small tri-banders and running low power.  Of course, if you can put up better antennas, go for it!  You will be glad you did, but then it still takes skill.  Something I am always trying to learn.  Almost every day I learn something new.  If you listen long enough you will hear me making a fool of myself.  I do try hard not to make mistakes, because I KNOW you ADXAers are listening!

While I feel for anyone that doesn't get the ZS8, I've been in that boat more than once!  Let me just say I was really hurt over Bouvet, but I have another chance next year!  I haven't missed many top 10 DX over the years after I got into DXing.  However, when you become dedicated the ones you miss hurt>> BAD!  Especially as you move up the ladder.  You just have to keep trying and leaning!  Doing all modes, aka diversify yourself.  Get up when other folks are getting their beauty sleep.  Believe it or not, I had more than a few say they are not giving up their sleep time for ZS8.  I have to admit, I don't understand this.  Yes, I am up all night most of the time, but I will be in the chair when they are on the air including 8 a.m., Which for me is very hard these days!  If they are on CW, I am on CW, ditto for SSB (not much on that mode these days) and that why I am on digital.  That was the reason I got into RTTY back in the day, to get more DX in the log.  Ahhhhh, DXing before FT8 was still great!  

What gripes me these days is when I am helping folks with their Darkside mode (FT8), I will see ZS8W in their log and they don't seem to appreciate what they have accomplished!  I hate to say this, but FT8 has some folks spoiled rotten!  One of my friends is only using a EFHW antenna on a small city lot and he made it in the ZS8 log on 30m FT8.  He knows that is a big deal for him and making ZS8's log!  However, I use to say the same thing about CW.  To me CW was cheating compared to SSB.  To this day I love using CW and getting in and out fast.  Many times, faster than any FT8 mode!  Even when I see pileups like the one above, my Kathy and others will tell you over the years I use mostly compromise wire antennas over the years. Including right now!  My current antenna system is a 40m and 80m fan dipole.  Yuck!!  I plan on doing something about that soon.  The only thing what will stop me if my health doesn't hold out.  I will still try to find a way to be ready for Adrian next year going back to Bouvet.  

BTW, I had ZS8 on 40m SSB about decade ago.  It was one of those DX memories made, but at the time I didn't know it.  Let's just say there were some good-ole redneck boys on top of the DX station's frequency and they claim they owned that frequency!  They were about 6 of them and they had declared war on the ones calling the ZS8 station.  If I remember right, it was ZS8M?  They also told the world there is NO way anyone could work that far on 40m SSB from the US.  Get off our frequency and go to (%^&*).  Well, you get the idea.  While one of them was ranting away to the pileup I put on my headphones, which means I am in the war mode, and I slipped in my call.  The ZS8M came right back!  The guy QRMing the pileup never knew I had made the contact and I was long gone!  Was it easy, NO, I had to focus and thank God for headphones.  Weeding out those 20 over 9 signals while trying to hear my report coming back at S5 was not fun, but it did make my night cutting through those idiots.  Sure was fun to hear them bellyaching about me afterwards.  Antenna at the time was just a ladder line fed doublet.  I was a little tick off at those guys, but over time it became another great milestone and memory for me.  I never forgot that contact because it wasn't easy!  

Until a few days ago that was my only ZS8 in my log!   Latter I learn that ZS8 station had only an Icom IC718 for a radio, no filtering on SSB and CW.  His antenna wasn't all that great either, I think a reused wire dipole.  He was going to try for CW, but he didn't think he could do that mode well with an entry level radio.  He may not have been a great CW op to run a huge pileup.  I don't really know, but that is not an easy skillset for most folks and that Icom is a wide-open receiver without filtering added.  Back then I was not going for the DXCC Challenge and this was well before the WSJT-X modes.  BTW, when did the DXCC DeSoto Challenge begin?  

I know this is going to sound dumb to many of your, but enjoy the ride and even the deliberate QRM.  I don't remember the easy ones, just the hard ones or the milestones like the one above!  I can remember telling the Fort Smith guys I could never do 5 Band DXCC, never make the Honor Roll because I started too late in my DXing career.  Now some are telling me I will never make number 1 or there will be no new number 1's.  I would be willing to bet this expedition will add a few more number 1s.  The only thing that will stop me from becoming number 1 is if I become a silent key before I make it.  Maybe if Kathy puts me in a home before I reach number 1, but I am not worrying about it, hi.  That use to be a joke around the DX clubs, all you have to do is live long enough to get them all.  This evening K5VR and I were on our 70cm intercom frequency.  Both of us commented how much we enjoyed the whole DX experience, even though at times we came up short!  Even that mindset takes years to understand!  Both of us will "never" (there is that word again) make Honor Roll mode wise or number 1 on only a mode like CW, SSB or Digital.  If only I could do this again when I was a young pup!  

I have said many times on this list, I regret not taking K5UR's advice/invitation to get into DXing at the Little Rock hamfest.  Believe me he tried to get me into chasing DX back in the 70s.  Besides being a JERK, I just didn't understand DXing, the comradery and the challenge of it all!  At that time, it all looked too easy, little did I know!  Back then I thought all you need is a killer antenna system and power, right?  I had both at the time, but didn't understand the rest or "DX IS"!  Well, it ain't easy and never has been.  Even though many in the ADXA, (like Joel and Rick come to mind) make it look easy, it is not!  Though I was about 30 years late to the party, what a nice ride it has been in the last couple of decades!  BTW, about 30 years later Rick was still trying to get me into DXing.  That was about the time I started DXing with Peter I as my first entry back in the late 90s.  Again memories!  

Also, one last thought, as you move up the ladder and support the expeditions with OQRS, your call becomes recognized more and more.  I don't know for sure, but I think callsign recognition it is real. Putting yourself out there at various conferences can also help.  I know many times I have been into a huge pileup and know I am not the strongest signal, but guess what, they come back to me with huge signals below and above me.  I find myself doing the same thing, if I had many are calling me, I will always go after the ones I have worked and they have confirmed with me before on another band and mode.  The ones not on LOTW or do not QSL, well I still try to get to them, but they are bottom feeders as far as I am concerned.  Sorry, that is just the way it works at W5jay.

Sorry for my walked five miles in the snow uphill story, but I hope someone new benefits from my long-winded tail, hi.  I think there are two more days for ZS8W.  So don't give up.  

73 de w5jay/jay..

P.S. Never saw a pileup I didn't love to jump into, LOL.  

From: adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net<mailto:adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net> <adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net<mailto:adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net>> on behalf of w5znjoel at gmail.com<mailto:w5znjoel at gmail.com> <w5znjoel at gmail.com<mailto:w5znjoel at gmail.com>>
Sent: Friday, May 9, 2025 4:18 PM
To: 'ADXA' <adxa at mailman.qth.net<mailto:adxa at mailman.qth.net>>
Subject: [ADXA] The ZS8 Adventure 

Greetings ADXA Folks,

Exciting and VERY frustrating times with ZS8. I’ve had email from several of you expressing frustration in trying to work Yuris on ZS8. Some have indicated he is ignoring NA but that’s simply not the case. Let’s review a few things about this op and DX’ing in general.

DX’ing is a rough radiosport. That’s why weenies don’t pay the game and hang out on FM repeaters or the internet……..”You Can’t Run With the BIG DOGS If You Pee Like a Puppy!” I would tell you how much harder it was “back in the old days” but you new folks would just laugh at me and you old dogs already know its true! So we’ll just leave it there.

ZS8 is a top 10 most needed, heck its #6 most needed among the ADXA folks. EVERYONE wants it, the ENTIRE WORLD needs it so the pileups are angry and aggressive.

Propagation, propagation, propagation! This is a very popular ham radio topic second only to antennas but most hams don’t take the time to understand it. Yuris is sitting there on Marion Island in the south Indian ocean where there is practically no infrastructure, only the simple things needed to maintain the research station so the man-made noise is literally non-existent. The radio bands are extremely quiet, he will hear everything. The location also affords band openings to multiple world locations at one time, heck the entire world at one time on some bands. You are competing with the entire world in that pileup! One example is 17 meters. I needed ZS8 on 17 but it took me 5 days to complete. When Yuris would send FT8 signal reports to the stations he was working from all over the world they would all be anywhere from minus 5 to plus 5 and if you watched the wide graph there was one solid, continuous line of callers from around 250 Hz all the way up to 3 KHz and that is only stations we can hear…….he’s hearing the entire world at that level!

Its only one operator – Yuris is there by himself, the lone ranger without Tonto! Have we already forgotten Thiery at FT8WW a little over 2 years ago? That was very difficult one although we were afforded with a much longer operation than ZS8W’s stay.

I’m not making excuses for Yuris, I just want the ADXA folks to better understand the situation he’s in. I, for one, am very thankful he took the time and initiative to plan this and actually go through the political BS to get a license, get down there, and activate ZS8. Its actually one I never thought I would see activated again in my lifetime so I am very thankful for his effort!

This is BIG DOG territory ADXA folks, its why we very often preach about elevating your station capability and operating skills, regardless of the size of your station.

We’re ADXA which means we’re BIG DOGS in the game of DX so instead of getting angry and frustrated…………..”GET IN THERE” and fight like you’re the third animal species on the ramp boarding the Ark and its starting to rain !!!!!   😊

73 Joel W5ZN
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