[OKDXA] Everyone congratulate Ilene, K5IH

[Ilene J. Hammack-K5IH]

Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving...on the "day after,"

Thanks to each of my fellow OKDXA DXers commenting below. 
I appreciate the wishes, and I want to particularly thank Gene, 
W5LE, for a heads-up phone call yesterday afternoon. I had 
taken a brief break from the rig and DX Summit to go outside 
and help Jim get one of our dipole antennas pulled back up 
after it was damaged in this past weekend's snow storm.

Gene knew I was temporarily out-of-pocket and kindly called 
to see if I knew VU7AG was working 20 m SSB with a decent 
signal at that very moment. This particular opening was the 
best I had copied VU7AG since they went on the air, and it 
was just good enough to let me get through the pile-up. 
Thanks a million, Gene!!

I still can't believe that it's completed...for now. Hopefully, 
there will be another new one, or so, in the years to come. 
Yes, I realize there is always the band/mode game to be 
played, too, but for now I’m going to just sit back and relax 
a bit. Admittedly, given my state of disbelief after yesterday's 
unexpected success, I (actually Jim checked it for me before 
I awakened this morning) cautiously checked Club Log early 
this morning, once they had up-loaded yesterday's 
data...sure enough I'm in their log for yesterday's QSO. 
Gene kindly greeted me this morning with an e-mail 
depicting Club Log’s posting of my contact, too.  

Wow, how things have changed over the years. The internet 
has truly transformed DXing in so many ways. For example, 
there’s no need for an insurance contact any more. I'm not 
going to compete against others for any additional QSO's 
from VU7AG. If you need them and can't work them, it 
won't be my fault, beginning with yesterday afternoon’s 
time frame...hi!

I'm humbled by the group's attention!!

73/88, Ilene - K5IH

    "DX Is" 

Formerly: DXCC   339 / 350   Now:   DXCC   340* / 351*

                                                     (*) pending
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WAY TO GO ILENE !!!!!!_
We lucked out and had a decent opening for a change when 
you snagged EM.  Congrats...I also got them, on 20M SSB, 
within a few minutes of your contact. 73 Rick K9KK
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CONGRATULATIONS ILENE.
WQ5R
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From: Kim Elmore
Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 6:52 PM
To: Oklahoma - DX news and information
Subject: Re: [OKDXA] Everyone congratulate Ilene, K5IH

Simply amazing! I can't even imagine what that must feel 
like, not to mention the countless hours of dogged 
determination and careful, considered strategy.

Congratulations, indeed, Ilene!

73,  Kim N5OP

"People that make music together cannot be enemies, 
at least as long as the music lasts." -- Paul Hindemith
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>From K5RKS        27 Nov 2013  at   2242UTC

Ilene K5IH:

Holy Toledo!! Congratulations on the reaching the top of 
the Honor Roll. I know I'll never even get close. You are 
joining a number in the OKDXA who are up there in that 
rarefied atmosphere.

I also worked VU7AG this afternoon on 20M SSB. I worked 
him at 20:39 UTC. He was xmitting on 14260.0 Khz and at 
the time I worked him he was listening up at 14275.1 Khz. 
I was embarrassed by the typo in my spot on the cluster 
because I put in the wrong frequency for him. I was so 
hyper that I typed in his listening freq rather than his xmit 
freq and also put the decimal in the wrong place for his 
freq!!!

I don't know if I'll ever make it to the bottom, let alone 
the top, of the Honor Roll. Most, but not all, of the entities 
I still need have not been on the air since when I moved 
here to Oklahoma in December 2005 and took up DXing 
seriously.

According to scuttlebut, Pooyan, EP3PK was heard on 
yesterday. I 've attempted to setup skeds with him several 
times (since according to Daily DX he is willing to setup 
skeds) but I've never heard back from him. I think I could 
work him if just happened to hear him and the pileup was 
only "moderate".

I ran into Monk Apollo that way. Just lucked out and 
worked him on RTTY even though he was not yet on any 
spotting network. Bernie McClenny, W3UR, has a list of the 
status of the most recent activation of the top 20 rarest 
ones. I need about half of them. Namely, the half with the 
oldest "most recent activation" date. I "worked" Turkmenistan 
but according to the DX desk the station "has no 
documentation". I believe that ham radio is now illegal in 
Turkmenistan so no wonder there was "no documentation".

Typical of the places I still need are: Howland, Pratas, 
Eritrea, Kingman, North Korea, Navassa, Bouvet, Crozet, 
South Sandwich, Baker/Holland, Amsterdam, Heard, 
Tromelin, South Sandwich, Kingman Reef, Juan De Nova.

All you at the OKDXA are really setting the bar so 
perseverance and tenacity. This is a lifetime pursuit and 
I'm just a tenderfoot.

73   Roger    K5RKS
  _____________________________________________
-----Original Message----- 
From: W5LE
Sent: Wednesday, November 27, 2013 3:34 PM
To: Congratulations Ilene K5IH!
Subject: [OKDXA] Everyone congratulate Ilene, K5IH

Everyone,

Congratulations are in order for Ilene, K5IH.  She just 
worked VU7AG on 20M SSB at 2126 UTC. That's an 
accomplishment in itself but what adds an extra element 
of  "awesomeness" to this is...this was the last country
Ilene needed to reach the Top of the Honor Roll !!!! 
Wow and double wow! I think I'm almost as excited 
about it as she and Jim, K5GZ, are!

73 and see you in the pileups.  Gene W5LE
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