ARROW Communications Association

Big fun the other night. Tuning around 15m at 5:30PM after work, and hearing nothing but hiss, even with the preamp on. Then ... a very faint CW signal around 21028 ... I listened hard for about 10 minutes and got a "VK9" ... then finally assembled the full call: VK9DNX. They were working stations as fast as they could, but calling CQ from time to time, and not working many US stations at all. I called them about 6 times but was not being heard. So I broke down and dialed the rig up from its usual 5 watts to 100 watts -- they heard me on the first call and gave me the usual 599 report.

Then, working around the house, I passed back through the radio room and heard them still going at it. I looked at the radio, and they were actually moving the S meter now, all the way to about S3. So I dialed down the Orion to 5 watts, where it usually is, and called them again, signing "/QRP" at the end of my call. They heard me the first time!!! I did have to repeat my call for them to get it all correctly, but they acknowledged my QRP power and said "FB". I checked the clock, and it was just an hour after the first time I worked them. I felt SO much better, though, having reached VK with 5 watts again. Sometimes I have gone for months or even years without hearing VK, so I was/am very pleased. And THIS is the magic of QRP -- to think that such a tiny signal can communicate with the other side of the planet!

The next day I looked them up on QRZ, and it turns out it's the Bavarian Contest Club from Germany dxpeditioning on Norfolk Island, an Australian possession and a rare "country". Even better! This weekend is the ARRL DX SSB contest, and I am stoked to do some serious DX/contesting now.
Hope to catch you on the air!
73 de kt8k - Tim