Jörg OE6VIE

/in /door

Uit het logboek van PD5L
Ik stel Jörg aan jullie voor, ik sprak hem jaren geleden op 20 meter. Ik heb Jörg de eerste keer persoonlijk ontmoet op een radiomeeting in België dat was in 1993. Jaren later in 2016 heb ik Jörg in Friedrichshafen weer ontmoet. De meesten kennen hem als president van de FT4 en FT8 Digital Mode Club.

Who are you and what is your callsign?
I am Jörg Engelbrecht, I am known as “Jo” on the bands and my callsign is OE6VIE

How did you become interested in amateur radio?
My first touch with HF was 1977 in Germany, when I was a 11 years old boy, first I used legal CB radios but got more interested in DX so soon bought an SSB Transceiver, Linear and a beam…. I got in trouble with the radio police a few times, so it was time to learn for the amateur radio license.

Since when did you get your license?
I got my first license in 1995

What is your favorite mode and band?
Well my favorite band is 6m and my favorite mode is CW.

What equipment do you use?
Hmm, I own a few transceivers old and new but my main transceiver is an ICOM IC-756PROIII. For HF I am using a Hustler 4-BTV with homemade 12/17m add-ons and 60/80m radiators. On 6m I only use a HB9CV but with great results from my QTH 900m asl. My linear amplifier is an ACOM 700S. On 2m I use an ICOM IC-7400 and a Big Wheel, for portable operations I use the YAESU FT-710.

Do you use a computer in your shack and what do you use it for?
I need a PC for Logging and to work digital modes.

Do you attend events related to the radio hobby?
Yes, I have been a few times at the HAM RADIO in Friedrichshafen, BURABU in Budapest, INTERRADIO in Hannover and of course local events within Austria.

Do you do self-build and what do you build?
I built a few LFA Yagies for 2,4 and 6m and many verticals for the lowbands.

What was your most memorable contact?
My most memorable contact was with IRØISS, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano from the ISS.

Do you have any goals or challenges with amateur radio?
The main goal was the 10 Band DXCC which I received long time ago, 6m is still always a challenge to work new DXCC, and since we are allowed to use the 60m band you can find me very often there to hunt for new DXCC.

Do you have hobbies and interests outside of amateur radio?
Difficult to say because most other hobbies are related with HAM radio like designing QSLs, Logos and awards but I like cooking 😉

Fernando EA4BB

/in /door

From the log of PD5L

Ik heb Fernando een aantal malen gesproken op zowel 10 meter als 20 meter. Een interessante operator met een mooi verhaal. Een echt gesprek en niet you’re 5 and 9. 

Who are you and what is your callsign?
Fernando Arroyo, EA4BB 

How did you become interested in amateur radio?
I became fascinated with radio when I was a small child in the 1960s, listening to distant broadcasting stations in the family radio, an old Philips tube receiver.

Since when did you get your license?
I got my first (beginner) license in 1980, and my full license in 1982

What is your favorite mode and band?
My favourite mode is CW, and my favourite band is 15m . 

What equipment do you use?
I like old equipment. The radios I use more often are a marine system made by Drake (R77 receiver + TR77 transceiver) as well as a Drake C- Line (T4XC transmitter, R4C receiver, L4B amplifier)

Do you use a computer in your shack and what do you use it for?
I use a laptop computer for logging, checking propagation, DX cluster and QRZ.com 

Do you attend events related to the radio hobby?
I like to visit hamfests. I have been in Friedrichshafen, and in the main hamfest in Spain (IberRadio).

Do you do self-build and what do you build?
I like building and experimenting with antennas, especially all kinds of wire antennas for HF.

What was your most memorable contact?
My most memorable contacts happened between 1992 and 1994, when I was deeply involved in a network of humanitarian messages sent between Bosnia Hercegovina and Bosnian refugees all over the world during the war in that country. Each of the many contacts I had was really memorable and very emotional to me.

Do you have any goals or challenges with amateur radio?
I would like to try moonbounce at some point. Also, I am very curious about satellite operation, but have never tried that modality. 

Do you have hobbies and interests outside of amateur radio?
I am passionate about motorcycles, classical and jazz music and literature. Also I am very interested in cooking, and I am trying to learn to cook better every day.

Janez S51DX

/in /door

Who are you and what is your callsign?
Born in 1963 and I was retired in 2019. I worked as an electrician in Radiotelevision of Slovenia. Must say, I did not have some kind of fancy job, but it was a nice peaceful job. Replacing neon tubes and taking care of the electro motors in our cooling systems and high power electricity distribution. I was operating as YU3HR (pre-1992 call) and now I use S51DX for more than 30 years.

How did you become interested in amateur radio?
I have a brother starting his career as a HAM radio in my youth. I watched his effort with this hobby and I become interested in it. Do not regret that decision at all. After so many years I enjoy running the pile-ups and activities on a daily basis.

Since when did you get your license?
I have a 2m license in 1979, later I pass the HF exams and get my YU3HR call, which was in ex-Yugoslavia. I learn CW in ex-YU Army. I didn’t like CW much, but over the years it become my best companion. As a young, I discover that CW can help you make long DX and “new ones” QSO’s and I start to love it. Today I like it even more – very relaxing and great mode.

We become Independent and I take the S51DX call sign. I didn’t want and like to take any of the special calls – I am and I will use this call until the end.

What is your favorite mode and band?
I generally operate the phone and 20m band most of my time. But not to love them much, I run that band which is the best at the time. If there is an opening on 10m, I will run that band. If I hear many Japanese stations on 17m CW I will run them. The problem can be just some non-working antennas on our location.

What equipment do you use?
As I wrote before, I operate from a location here in my city. Slavko, Damjan, and I have this location for our use since our home locations are bad and this is the best way to stay active.

We get donated the OM-Power HF2500A amplifier from Dane S53T and that is my main amplifier. There are plenty of yagis on our 3 towers. All bands from 40 and up (including WARC) are covered with 5el. Yagis, some of them are stacked. Ultimately, we still use Yaesu FT1000MP Mark V radio as the main one. Another one is available as a replacement radio if something happens. (They are loaded with all filters and also roofing ones.)

Do you use a computer in your shack and what do you use it for?
Yes, in the shack we have a couple of computers running the logging programs, including N1MM and VE7CC DXCluster soft. Thank you guys for making so great programs for us dummy ones!

Do you do self-build and what do you build?
Many antennas and helping boxes are made. I build most of the CW interfaces, Switching boxes for amps, wiring, and grounding boxes. Also, most of the yagis were made in our club. We all help with the making of it.

What was your most memorable contact
There were many memorable QSOs. I did run a great Leonids opening at the end of the ’90s. The meteor scatter was so strong that the QSO was running as a normal QSO’s not by the MS procedure – crazy. Also many e-Sporadic QSO’s to N. Europe and to Russia.

On HF, working Bouvet – he comes to me when I CQ in the closed band, nothing comes back, and a guy from Bouvet comes to work me – you can imagine the drill.

Or calling CQ directed to South, knowing there is the guy on Tromelin – last country for me (pre-2000). I know that he will come to the band in a couple of days. He comes to me just after he put his dipole up, and wanna test how it is working. I was shocked when he comes to me – I was nr. 1 in his log. Crazy hobby and loot of excitement.

Do you have any goals or challenges with amateur radio?
Not anymore. I did have all countries, holding all imaginable awards. But I still like to operate in Pile-ups, and contests, which is my goal for now.

Do you have hobbies and interests outside of amateur radio?
No, all my life HAM radio is my main hobby and to be true – I’m the best at this, why search for another hobby at all? There is always something to do in it. If nothing else – need to print the QSL cards. I still send QSLs over the bureau. I send more than 60 000 QSL all this time. All active HF hams have my QSL in their collection. I’m on the band on a daily basis and I have close to 650 000 QSOs in my log now – so where to find the time for a new hobby? Eat, Sleep, DX is a real motto here.