Sunday, 28 March 2010

Getting away from it all....

It's good to get away..as much as I have enjoyed the contest this weekend with my 9 qso's, I am obviously no patch on the big gun contest stations, to be honest I dont want to be, I like to listen and pick out the stations I want for DXCC or IOTA or just because it's a place I may have been on holiday.

I am also finding bands like 17m and 15m seem to attract the more exotic DX, so onto 15m PSK31 and I happen across FM5AA from Martinique.

Not sure where that is so onto QRZ.com to his page which says he's 285 miles away in France..something not right here.

Anyway I manage to work him, here's the qso..

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------QRZ QRZ  DE FM5AA PSE K ge Steee   teo r
a t e
 Q.8ao e.8CV de C
 Z QRZ  DE FM5AA PSE K ge Steoe   t r
 = s
15:25:09> Main
FM5AA FM5AA de M6PCZ M6PCZ M6PCZ pse kn
r    
 M6PCZ M6PCZ de FM5AA FM5AA pse KK ereremØ(eoeono ?ì  Lee r   eeet
eme
15:26:02> Main
FM5AA de M6PCZ

Hi Frantz,
Report : 599 599
Name   : Paul Paul qth Torquay in Devon,SW England, loc IO8ØFL IO8ØFL
Info   : http://m6pcz.blogspot.com - www.qrz.com/db/M6PCZ

How copy? BTU Frantz, FM5AA de M6PCZ pse kn
teet,t t     e
oe
 M6PCZ M6PCZ de FM5AA FM5AA   ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY ONLY M6PCZ M6PCZ  M6PCZ M6PCZ de FM5AA FM5AA pse KSrta n c ½
15:27:52> Main
FM5AA de M6PCZ

Hi Frantz,
Report : 599 599 very good signal
Name   : Paul Paul qth Torquay in Devon,SW England, loc IO8ØFL IO8ØFL
Info   : http://m6pcz.blogspot.com - www.qrz.com/db/M6PCZ

How copy? BTU Frantz, FM5AA de M6PCZ pse kn
µ xooi
SOME QRM OF STATIONS  CALLING ON UR SIGNAL  PAUL
M6PCZ Paul DE FM5AA
GE/GA/GM AND TKS FOR UR CALL
UR REPORT 579 579
OP: Frantz Frantz
QTH: Martinique  Island
Grid Loc : FK94lo [253.6° 6,490.6km]
IOTA: NA-1Ø7
73 Paul  & TKS  de FM5AA  kn e r  e
et  e    e 15:29:56> Main
et
FM5AA de M6PCZ

Hi Frantz,
all understood you are a very good signal today very happy to work you a first to Martinique for me
How copy? BTU Frantz, FM5AA de M6PCZ pse kn
-
M6PCZ  THANK YOU FOR QSO  Paul,
ALL THE BEST TU & YOURS
AND GOOD LUCK FOR  2Ø1Ø,  & best 73's,  SK S15:31:09> Main
ae
FM5AA de M6PCZ 73 Frantz and thanks for PSK31 QSO # 28 on 15m.
FM5AA de M6PCZ sk



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



You may have noticed I highlighted his grid/co-ordinates and also his IOTA, well off to my map on the wall and found him in the Caribbeabean, a little SE of Haiti and north of Venezuela.

Thats 2 IOTA I have worked now, the other being Rhode Island, USA which was special as we have been there.

For QRP of 10 watts the data modes allow you to work the DX very much easier than voice.

A little bit of Wiki info on Martinique -

Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of 1,128 km2 (436 sq mi). It is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is one of the twenty-six regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic.


 The French flag is the official country flag with the snake flag being the un-official flag for Martinique.




UPDATE -  I dropped Frantz a line and I got a reply back -

Hi Paul,




Thank you for nice e-mail.

No problem about our qso Paul.

It has been my plaisure having a nice contact with your station.



Only a very hight level of QRM from stations calling on your msge.

I had to repeat several times that I was giving the keyboard to you.

It was an FB signal from your station on 15 mtrs last day.



Condx here was 50 watts from the IC-756 PRO III in an old

TH3-MK3 ( 40 years old ...!) at abt 45 ft hight.

Unfortunately we have more and more difficulties to operate

with QRP STNS due to a "particular operating way" of some stns from some parts

of Europe.......! it's not'it?.....



Congratulations for your operating equipment Paul.



Have a nice end of week.



73's de Frantz- fm5aa
Posted by at

6 comments:

  1. Paul Stam PAØK28 March 2010 at 19:44

    Hi Paul, you are very lucky. Nice catch. 73 Paul

    ReplyDelete
  2. PE4BAS, Bas29 March 2010 at 08:11

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  3. PE4BAS, Bas29 March 2010 at 08:12

    Very nice DX Paul. 73, Bas

    ReplyDelete
  4. Adam29 March 2010 at 09:13

    Hello Paul,

    Martinique is a fantastic catch. Very well done! Great to see the "live" PSK data rather than just read about the QSO.

    BTW I just read back through my last entry about DX-obsessed stations. I hope you know I wasn't referring to you. I know you well enough after the past few weeks to know you would never refuse to talk to a weak "G" station and that with your enthusiasm for the radio hobby you would be happy as larry to speak to anyone calling CQ, whether they be in Austria or Australia.

    And of course I am just as excited as the next person to contact a distant, far away station. I didn't mean to put down that enthusiasm, but really I suppose to put down those stations G4ILO mentioned in his comments to that post that call out incessantly for "CQ DX" or "CQ stateside" and don't give us little beggars a chance.

    See you I think it's next Monday. 73 Adam

    ReplyDelete
  5. Paul M0PCZ30 March 2010 at 00:29

    Hi Adam, I have replied to you ref the DX chasers etc, so wont go on - No such luck in any area today on HF at all, lucky I found some contacts on 2m...!!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Paul M0PCZ30 March 2010 at 04:51

    I especially liked this PSK31 qso because the DX station took the time to try and work me and not give up, telling the other bigger signals to basically shut up !

    ReplyDelete

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