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Welcome to my Amateur Radio Blog!

Martin, LU5DX

I first learned about amateur radio when I was six years old. My father gave me a CB HT transceiver (Hosiden) with a big telescopic antenna as a present. With it, I was able to talk to people from all over the world at the peak of that sunspot cycle. I learned CW when I was eight years old, using a very old straight key (circa 1860) and a modified AM radio as an oscillator. At that time I did a lot of broadcast and MW SWLing.

Contesting

I started contesting when I was fourteen years old and I am usually active from:

  • HD8R
  • HC8M
  • LP1H
  • LT1F
  • CE3CT
  • other guest / multi-op stations

I had the chance to participate in two World Radio Sport Team Championships:

  • Slovenia 2000 as S522R
  • Brazil 2006 as PW5A

I like entering multi-op categories in contests, but I like all-out 48-hour single-operator efforts best.

Affiliations

  • Member of the CQ World Wide DX Contest Committee
  • Founding member of the LU Contest Group (2000)
  • CWOps #2896
  • World Wide Young Contesters (WWYC) #97 — not so young anymore :-)
  • Araucaria DX Group member since 2009

QRQ CW

I like and practice QRQ CW.

  • I can send CW by hand at around 60 WPM
  • I can copy conversational CW at around 100 WPM
  • I can copy callsigns at around 130 WPM
  • I can copy random letters at around 160 WPM

DXing and the city QTH

I started DXing from my own station in 2018. I like the challenge of DXing from a small station in the middle of the city, battling man-made noise in every way I can.

Since there is very strong QRM at my location, I usually experiment with one or more noise-cancelling devices and process signals using Linrad and diversity reception with SDRplay Duo.

Currently I only have a few very low dipoles.

FT8

I started experimenting with FT8 in 2020. I simply love FT8. I think it saved ham radio. It is the best tool we have to analyze all sorts of radio-wave propagation mechanisms. The massive volume of data points collected since its inception is amazing. K1JT should receive another Nobel Prize for creating FT8 :-)

Working conditions

Radios and receivers:

  • Flex 8600
  • Flex 6600
  • Hermes Lite 2
  • Yaesu FTDX-3000
  • Icom IC-746 PRO
  • Heathkit SB-102
  • SDRplay Duo (SDR receiver)
  • Colibri Nano (SDR receiver)
  • JPS ANC-4
  • QRM Eliminator by SP8RSM (similar to X-Phase)

CW straight keys and bugs

I have a small collection of CW straight keys and semi-automatic keyers (bugs):

  • 1860 straight key from the Buenos Aires Telégrafo de la Provincia
  • 1916 Vibroplex Blue Racer
  • 1936 Electric Specialty Manufacturing Co.
  • 1942 J38
  • 1944 Telegraph Apparatus Co.
  • 1946 Telegraph Apparatus Co.
  • 1968 Hi-Mound BK-100
  • 2015 Kent iambic paddle

Thanks for stopping by — hope to see you on the bands.

Vy 73,

Martin, LU5DX