DXCC...Check! Whoo Hoo!

Ken - NM9P

I Did It!  I received the 100th confirmation for DXCC via LOTW this afternoon!

I may never have gotten motivated to do this without the 6500!  It has made it a pleasure to operate all three modes -- Phone, CW and Digital.  The wonderful filters and quiet receiver, coupled with smooth QSK and panadapter have made this DXer's dream come true!  While all of the contacts were not made on the 6500, all of the most difficult ones, and all since Late August were made possible, and more fun, with the 6500.

Thanks a lot, FLEX!

Al_NN4ZZ

Congrats Ken!

Regards, Al / NN4ZZ  
al (at) nn4zz (dot) com

Ken - NM9P

Now I have to figure out how to navigate the LOTW website/application process....Yech!

rfoust

Nice!  Congrats!

George KF2T

CONGRATS! Flex understands not just how to build a beautiful product, but WHY they should. And we're grateful.

KM6CQ - Dan

Congratulations!

Rick Hadley

Congratulations!!  I'm also working toward LoTW DXCC...600+ QSOs and 220 QSLs since December.  According to the Ham Radio Deluxe logbook I've worked 143 countries and confirmed 78 since I got the 6500.  I scored TX6G on 12 & 15m CW last night.  The Flex makes it soooo much more fun!

Ernest - W4EG

I don't want to be left out ...

So, Congratulation for joining our little Flexers believers and workers of those prestigious awards. 

Continue to perform and let us know your progress of your future awards.

Bill-W9OL

Good Going Ken. Only some 260 to go now....:-))
Actually getting those LoTW qsls accepted is easier than doing it by mail, and most likely 4 weeks faster. :-)

Michael - N5TGL

Congrats!  We moved over to the UK last September, so I had to restart my DXCC.  I'm doing mine on LoTW also; up to 55 confirmed so far.

Asher - K0AU

202 worked / 142 confirmed since August on 20, 15 and 10M.  On a suburban lot with an OB9-5 on a telescoping mast.  With the 6700 I can hear pretty well and with 1KW I can work most of what I hear.  Still plotting how to get on 160 to 30M.  A6 and A9 for two ATNOs tonight on 20M CW.

Ken - NM9P

Excellent! I'm up to 149 worked and 102 confirmed. But they are getting harder with my OCF 160 meter dipole and vertical. Come on, Spring! I want my T-11 in the air!

Steve - M3SXA

Hi Ken I've had my 6500 just over a month now and worked 10 new dxcc, hearing stations from places I've never heard before and them actually hearing me all on 10 watts!!
Not on the radio a lot but when I am well impressed, another amateur radio friend popped over and see the flex working and went straight out and bought the 1500 to just 'Try it' and was very impressed.... so he could be another 6000 series user very soon....

Ken - NM9P

Getting a 1500 is dangerous.... It is like a gateway drug! I had so much fun that I had to get the "Big Brother." No turning back, now!

George KF2T

SO True!

Bill-W9OL

Just sent in a submission today (3-31)
These last submissions where all made with with my F5K or F6.5K.
These were tough to work, 160 (Chicago City Lot). The F's did their job of hearing well.
Present stats:
Honor Roll 364
Challenge 2556
Digital 335.
CW 362
Also being around for more than 4 solar cycles helped too.
Only problem is...even the Flex can't work countries that aren't on.
But there is always hope!

Ken - NM9P

Awesome, Bill!  Way to go!  Wait until the new APF and "Add-a-Slice" comes out in the new version.  It will be another great help for the DXers. 

Bill-W9OL

More importantly.....CWX!
A minor TIA left my fist a bit shaky...
and it wasn't so good.....when I was young!
Actually for me, 2 slices will likely be enough.
Hear the DX, Hear/see the station he works.
But I'm dating myself, maybe I'll learn a new trick or two with the slices.

Ken - NM9P

My WAS and DXCC certificates arrived this week! It sure was fun! Thanks, FLEX, for the help!

Ken - NM9P

It seemed to take forever. But I just confirmation that DX contact #100 was confirmed by LOTW on 17 meters. That gives me 100+ LOTW confirmations on five bands - 40, 20, 17, 15, & 10 meters! Who Hoo! But for the classic 5 band DXCC I still need 100 confirmed on 80 meters. I have 53 more to go! That will be the toughest band yet. Ken - NM9P

Walt - KZ1F

Very cool Ken, congrats.

Simon Lewis

Congrats Ken its fun in the 100s they come thick n fast

just worked VP 8SGI for DXCC #282

hard now rocks n stones nnpoltically low ham countries

Flex 6500 is a huge tool in my arsenal

thanks Flex

Rick Hadley - W0FG

Congrats, Ken!  I'm at 288 confirmed on LoTW, with complete DXCCs on all bands 40-10.  I've mae two contacts with VP8SGI, and have a half-dozen or so cards that I need to submit.  I'm hoping to make it to 300 this year.  Couldn't have done it without the Flex!!

Clay N9IO

Amen, the Flex has made a BIG difference in my operating habits and netted a bunch of new countries.

Ken I am in the same boat as you.  Need to confirm 30 more on 80m for 5bdxcc.
My initial dxcc certificate I confirmed 114 with my cards of the past 35-40 years
but have been accumulating the remainder in LOTW plus 9 ATNO's in card form.

Am waiting for 5bdxcc and 200 on cw and ph (only a few away on both) then I will make
the next application with LOTW.

So I am at 253 confirmed in hand not including VP8SGI.
About 175 away from the Cup Challenge 1000 band modes as well.

Also, thanks to Gerald and the Flex family for your vision and changing ham radio as we knew it.

BTW: I know a fellow by the name of Dave Patton NN1N who has taken on LOTW as his baby (and company) making it the fine system it has become.
Dave and the ARRL have made tremendous contributions to the DXing game and are to commended as well in this world of instant recognition.

Clay N9IO

Ken - NM9P

All you guys are way ahead of my scores.
My LOTW DXCC numbers are below.  I don't know how many DXCC confirmations I have on cards.  I haven't counted them.  I am totally LOTW here.

Most of these have been since I got the 6500, because I wasn't chasing paper before then ... new rig, new goals!  Most of them were before the tower and LP antenna.  With the LP, I love 17 Meters Now.  

The 6500 has become such a nice CW / pileup / split operation rig that it has made the hunt a lot more fun.  I loved a Kenwood TS-850SAT for 20-21 years, and had an ICOM IC-745 before that (and a lot of other rigs in a list too long to post) But the 1500 and now the 6500 are the best rigs, and the most fun, of anything I have ever used in 41 years.

Ken - NM9P

KF4HR

Congrats Ken!  I'm in the same boat.  My Flex has rekindled my interest in collecting wall paper (5BWAS, 5BDXCC, etc).  I had my first Flex experience working a DX station running split the other day.  It was quite an enjoyable experience on the Flex!

Walt - KZ1F

Had you been a staunch logbook keeper? We left RI in 93, where I had several ARRL Log books. Towards the end I, pretty much, stopped logging contacts unless it was noteworthy. Then we went to HOA land in VA then again in MA. I had a few contacts from 2002 to 2013. But it wasn't until I got a real shack set up that I got back into it seriously. So the whole operating split, computer logging, panadapter, SDR thing was relatively new. My only point in this is aside from your  200+ LOTW contacts you likely have another 2,000 squirrelled away in ARRL log books collecting dust in your basement.

KY6LA_Howard

@Walt... Logbooks do not do you much good when you move from country to country and have to start over from scratch with each new domicile...

I now only count LOTW Q's as being real contacts...Cards are so 20th Century

@Ken
Impressive results considering that you did not have a real antenna before the LP

Ken - NM9P

I have 13,343 contacts logged via LOTW since about 2003 and bunches on paper and irrecoverable electronic logs since 1974. I still have my Novice paper logs, including a bunch of "scratch sheets" where I copied the 5 WPM CW and made other notes. I don't know if I will ever get them into the electronic logbook. I am too busy making new contacts to record old, forgotten ones. I may, however, glean through the logs for needed states and DXCC contacts in order to raise my totals. Unfortunately, ACLog doesn't have an option to make station notes in the log. I guess I need to make a journal page where I keep that info ... New antennas, new rigs, Mike changes, location changes, etc. My logs are all good for DXCC, but I have lived in three states and 11 towns, all of them far enough away from each other so that they don't qualify for WAS credit together. Someday, when I get snowed in and the antenna doesn't work, I need to set up date specific accounts on lotw in order to keep them sorted. Ken - NM9P

K1FR

Ken:  Congratulations!  Good to see another low power, wire antenna guy doing so well.

Hope you do find that snowy or whatever day to get stuff into LOTW.  I had saved some old paper logs and was pleasantly surprised to find that some pretty old contacts resulted in LOTW confirmations.  Just went through the logs and entered QSOs for needed countries, so it was pretty easy. Have to admit if was fun as well recalling some of the old friends worked as I went through the logs.

Pretty sure will never reach anything close to DXCC Honor Roll.  But am having fun plugging along.  Have pretty much decided to forget about trying for the big DXPeditions anymore.  The behavior for the recent ones, especially what is going on right now on 40 CW for VP8SGI, is something I can live without!

Good luck and hope to see you on the Honor Roll!

73, Tom
K1FR

Steve W6SDM

Congratulations, Ken.  I just finished my five band DXCC and I understand what you mean by it getting harder.  I keep telling myself that I should go for honor roll, but then I realize how difficult that is to achieve - if for no other reason than some of the most rare entities don't have any activity.

I agree that the pursuit was much more fun with the Flex.  Maybe there should be a special "Achieved Entirely with Flex" DXCC.