Ham Radio Operator Peter UX5DH - life long dream of DXCC

1. 2020 Ham Radio Christmas Story.

By Victor Goncharsky US5WE/K1WE, FAIRS director for European operations.

New Ham radio technology knocks on our doors. Both youngsters and old timers are involved in the process of learning and using these technological achievements.

The person I’m going to tell this story, Peter Choporov UX5DH, is the ham since early 60s.

Peter is the FAIRS member who was involved in many FAIRS VHF repeater and packet radio projects in Ukraine.

Recently Peter has bought and installed two digital DMR repeaters in Lvov UR0WUB and on Trostian mountain in Carpathians UR0WUC. FAIRS Ukraine has provided the licensing support for this project.

APRS Packet radio nodes UR0WUB-1 and UX5DH-3 in Lvov using the equipment from the “Eurasia Foundation” grant No. 95-0031 “Ukrainian Digital Amateur Radio Network” is being used for this project. These APRS nodes are also being maintained by Peter UX5DH.

In late December 2018 I introduced Peter to a new digital mode FT8 and proposed him to try it by using the equipment he had: ICOM IC7000 transceiver and FD4 multiband dipole. Several weeks were spent to cure RF feedback and bad SWR issues but finally the first FT8 QSO was made on 30m. It did not take long for Peter to become a FT8 addict.

For less then a year almost 7000 QSOs were made on all bands 160 to 6 meters, DXCC awards (Mixed and Digital) were received. As Peter told me, he was dreaming to put DXCC on the wall from his first steps in ham radio when he saw them in Ham Dad Vlad’s U5WF (UB5WF) shack and finally after almost 60 years Peter’s dream came true!

To improve his DXCC Challenge totals on low bands Peter made a full sized horizontal delta loop for 160 meters. This antenna was found to be much better then FD4 both for receive and transmit on 160-40 meters. The table below shows Peter’s DXCC Challenge totals achieved in less then a year with a simple barefoot setup and wire antennas.

So the opinion that DX-ing is easy with FT8 seems to be overestimated but it is wonderful to see Peter’s call UX5DH on the screen and realize that it is possible to come back on the HF bands after many decades of absence and still have a great fun. Welcome aboard, Peter!