Greetings ADXA Folks,

There is a lot of activity ongoing these days both on and off the radio. There is a lot of DX on the air now with TX5N on from Austral's, 8Q7DX on from Maldives and the JW0X gang just fired up from Svalbard.

I'm breaking in a new Elecraft K4 so it is good to have a lot of activity to work with. So far I'm very pleased (and impressed) with it.

Its been known here that I need 8Q on 160 for my last CQ Zone (or any DX in Zone 22!) on that band and that did not happen this winter while a station was on from there. What I discovered during that time is I also needed 8Q on 15 meters for a new one on the band. I thought I had it on all the other bands but low and behold I did not. I've been listening intently in the mornings when the previous one-man DXpedition was there and we never had prop. So far 8Q7DX has not provided anything better.....until today but NOT during the normal morning time prop. Today around 1:00 PM local (1800z) I took a break from the "work desk" and took a peek at the DX cluster at the radio desk and I saw 8Q7DX spotted on 15 meters CW. Its in the middle of the night there so I said "NO WAY!!" but turned on the rig and low and behold there he was!!!!! Very weak but Q5 and running a pile up. You know I had to jump in.....I have a serious addiction to pile ups. Short version is I worked him. Moral of the story - do NOT poo poo something just because you don't believe there should be prop.....CHECK IT OUT !!!

Now to get the card has he only does direct paper cards to his Bosnia home QTH.

So, lots of DX on the bands and you know what to do!

73 Joel W5ZN