I have been chasing some DX. It became a COVID 19 inspired activity. Any way, by late December 2020, I had over 100 countries/entities confirmed in Log Book of the World and so I sent off an application to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) for the DX Century Award. The certificate is reproduced above. It is difficult to say what was the most desirable or challenging country/entity in my list of 100. Chasing Grant Willis (VK5GR) in Niue, E6AG (September 2017), Vanuatu, YJ0AG (April 2018) and Tonga, A35TJ (September 2019) and, not forgetting Kangaroo Island, July 2020, (VK5KI), was fun as Grant is a South Australian. Most of my single sideband contacts (voice) were made with a power of 100 watts (peak envelope [pep] equal to 25 watts carrier) but in more recent times I was able to use 400 watts pep with a solid state amplifier and data contacts were made with 25 watts for JT65 and 30 watts for FT8. Thanks to all of the operators in these countries/entities who gave me contacts and it was great fun to be on the end of a ‘pile-up’ (many stations calling me at once). These pile-ups happened quite frequently.

I was pleased to have both LOTW and QSL card confirmation of my two contacts with AP2TN.

One thing that chasing DX requires is patience! If you look at the screen shot of my contact with TX3T you will see that is was confirmed on LOTW in February 2021. However, you will notice that looking at the QSL card front and rear, reproduced above, the contact took place on the 3rd November 2011. I did not use paper cards in my application for the DXCC. I must say I was pleased to receive the confirmation on LOTW as it shows as a new contact in 2021. TX3T was a DXpedition station.