[SFDXA] OM3BD now QRT until summer 2012 - thanks to all!

[Bill Dzurilla]

I'm back in Florida and just wanted to thank everyone for all the fun and support during my OM3BD Slovakia summer.  Although there were a lot of radio adventures this summer, such as my simultaneous operation from 3 different countries as OE/OM/HA/NZ5N (see http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/border.htm), by far the best part was the EME.  This was my fifth summer of ham operations from my Slovak QTH, but in prior years I had always settled for smaller, temporary, hand-turned yagis.  This year, I had ambitious plans for larger antennas and higher power and EME operations on 6m, 2m, and 70cm.

On 2m, I put up a pair of 10 element DK7ZB yagis with full azimuth and elevation rotation (see http://www.qsl.net/nz5n/OM3BD2011.htm).  This may seem like a rubber duck to many of you EMEers with mega antennas, but this was a big job in Slovakia, with limited tools and equipment.  Together with my FT-847 and a homebrew GS-35b amp, I had close to 100 EME QSOs, despite family obligations that kept me off the air during several of the best EME times, and despite houses and hills that blocked my moon view at moonrise and at most points to the east.

On 6m, we had only 2 EME QSOs with an Amplitec GS-35b amp.  The antenna was the InnovAntenna 6m and 4m dual bander, with 6 elements on 6 and 5 elements on 4.  I was able to work via double hop skip to the USA and PJ6, but perhaps not enough antenna for serious work on 6m EME.  It was fun to work EME on another band, though, and they warned me that 6m EME was not easy.  For 70cm, as many of you know, I bought a GS-35b amp, but it arrived in non-working condition, so no 70cm EME this year, maybe try again in 2012.

Overall a good summer, thanks to all who worked me or tried to work me, the entire log has been uploaded to LOTW and eQSL.  Paper QSLs please to my manager, K2AU (although there were already a few in my mailboxes in both Florida and Slovakia, no need to resend).  

73, Bill NZ5N/OM3BD