Yesterday I received the QSL card below via email, for my reception of VMC Charleville on 18th September 2023.

On 18th September 2023, I tuned in to VMC – the Bureau of Meteorology Marine Weather HF service transmitting on 2201 kHz from Charleville in Queensland.

References.

1. Bureau of Meteorology, 2023, <http://www.bom.gov.au/marine/radio-sat/marine-weather-hf-radio.shtml>, viewed 10th October 2023.

The 2023 Oceania DX Contest was held on the weekend just passed, Saturday 7th October 2023 from 0600 UTC, to 0600 UTC on Sunday 8th October 2023.

I entered into the Single Op All Bands Low power category. I ran the Yaesu FTdx101MP and 100 watts during the contest. My antennas were the 5-element tri-band yagi @ 50 feet and the 40m rotatable dipole @ 55 feet.

I made 785 QSOs with a claimed score of 859,500 points.

The majority of my QSOs were on the 20m band (385), followed by 10m (196), and then 15m (125).

I worked a total of 61 different DXCC entities during the contest:

• Alaska
• Argentina
• Asiatic Russia
• Australia
• Austria
• Belarus
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Chile
• China
• Colombia
• Corsica
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• England
• European Russia
• Federal Republic of Germany
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Greece
• Hawaii
• Hong Kong
• Hungary
• India
• Indonesia
• Ireland
• Isle of Man
• Israel
• Italy
• Japan
• Latvia
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Madeira Islands
• Mexico
• Netherlands
• New Caledonia
• New Zealand
• Northern Ireland
• Norway
• Oman
• Philippines
• Poland
• Puerto Rico
• Republic of Korea
• Scotland
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Turkey
• Ukraine
• United States
• Wales
• West Malaysia

The map below shows my contacts around the world during the contest.

I went to bed at a respectable time on Saturday night, about 11.30 p.m., and didn’t get back into the shack until about 8.30 a.m. on Sunday morning.

I was down about 200 QSOs from last year when I won the category. Nonetheless, I had a lot of fun again this year and I would like to thank everyone who called me, and thank you to the organisers of this great Contest.

A few days ago I delivered a presentation via Zoom to the Mile-Hi DX Association in the USA. The topic was QSL cards.

This is the 2nd presentation on the topic that I have given to USA clubs in recent times.

Here are my latest FT4 award certificates.

Thank you to all of the FT4 operators and the various award managers.

In the past couple of weeks, I have received two more VKFF Hunter Honour Roll certificates.

• VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 1,875
• VKFF Hunter Honour Roll 1,900

Thanks to all of the VKFF activators and thanks to Adam VK2YK, the VK5 State Rep for the VKFF program.

CHU is a time signal radio station operated by the Institute for National Measurement Standards of the National Research Council of Canada.

The signal is broadcast on three frequencies:

• 3330 kHz (3Kw)
• 7850 kHz (10kW)
• 14670 kHz (3 kW)

The station was started in 1923 by the Dominion Observatory in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, with a call sign of 9CC on an experimental basis until 1928.  In 1938, the call was changed to CHU.

Below is a short video of my recent reception of CHU on 14670 kHz. and an earlier video from 2022 of my reception of CHU on 7850 kHz.

References.

1. Signal Identification Guide, 2023, <https://www.sigidwiki.com/wiki/CHU>, viewed 8th October 2023.
2. Wikipedia, 2023, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CHU_(radio_station)>, viewed 8th October 2023.

In recent weeks I received the letter below acknowledging receipt of my reception of Hong Kong VOLMET on 6679 kHz on 9th August 2023.

In the mail over the past few days I received the three QSL cards below from WRMI in the USA.

7730 kHz 7th November 2021.

7570 kHz 21st October 2021.

5010 kHz 11th October 2021.

Here are the latest QSL cards received in the mail for VK5MAZ and VK5PAS.