Z60A of SHRAK with international crew does a great job on traditional CW and SSB modes from new DXCC Kosovo.
I went there just for another weekend after delaying my return home spending a month in Serbia as YU/S56A.
I decided to operate digital modes with TS-480 and 23 m EFHW PA antenna. Extending the wire for another 4 m makes it great L/4 vertical on 160 m. Smooth 250 km ride from Jagodina,
YU via NIss to Prishtina without customs hassle. I went straight to ARKEP office as they didn't answer my email requests on sole info@. Mr Fazli.Shala@arkep-rks.org kindly provided proper admin paper and later account number for 50 Euros fee.
I laughed at my NLB initially rejecting cash payment.
When I returned to ARKEP office on Friday afternoon, big boss was gone and nobody could sign my license.
I had understanding that my immediate operation from motel Evropa near Grachanica monastery is legal. PDF license received on Monday! I managed to set 160 m antenna from the first floor down to small trees with perfect 1:1 SWR at 1830 kHz. However, immediately afterwards RJ-46 6-pin plastic connector failed on TS-480 control head disabling radio for CQ WW CW 160 m. Saturday was great Serbian holiday of Saint Sava and everything was closed.
I was lucky to find Telekom technician Sinisha who showed interest in my broken cable bun no 6 pin plug with plenty of 4 and 8 pin ones!
Trip to Z60A an Faculty of electronics in 10 km away Prishtina, Z61AD several phone calls and he presented me with a single replacement. It was carefully installed and radio powered up some 24 hours late. I moved to my standard, highest 2nd floor, stretched 23 m EFHW to 6 m fishing pole, added 5 m coax with big torus choke, grounded radio to flat heating radiator and enjoyed FT8 pileups ever since! Plenty of red screens answering DX and old friends. Antenna was tuned to 160 m again one hour before the end of CQ WW and CW pileup run follower by 160 m FT8 operation until 1 AM local. I left motel on Monday noon, visited both Z60A locations, enjoyed meeting S50A and S51F with YL Donjeta, Z61DDB and having lunch with G3TXF and OH2BH near Z61DX home. I left Kosovo just before sunset on Monday and Serbia on Thursday. ARRL new LoTW license for Republic of Kosovo quickly received on Friday, 504 FT8 QSO from 20 - 160 m uploaded with 47 CW ones. Facebook is my main social media and lot of thankful emails and SMS received. I had FT8 presentation with S52D for 100+ S5 hams on Saturday. Sunday was legacy trauma with Clublog and OQRS, Paypal and eBay. You can ask for nice paper QSL now via Clublog which happened to be simpler than I imagined. My license is valid for 1 year and cheap flights are available from Ljubljana. Retired people are always short with time as I have to celebrate XYL birthday during WPX RTTY, mine clashes with WPX SSB, warm EA8 in between, WRTC referee in July. Modest pension support all my Kosovo visits including 30 Euros car insurance, 3 x 50 Euros license fees, B&B an food at motel Evropa. You can donate for my future Z6 DX-peds freely at: https://paypal.me/MarioS56A/(amount in USD) I am looking forward to see you on HF FT8 since July 18th, 2017, RTTY and CW contest weekends and even some SSB!
73 de Mario, S56A, N1YU, MSc EE retired, ham since 1962
I went there just for another weekend after delaying my return home spending a month in Serbia as YU/S56A.
I decided to operate digital modes with TS-480 and 23 m EFHW PA antenna. Extending the wire for another 4 m makes it great L/4 vertical on 160 m. Smooth 250 km ride from Jagodina,
YU via NIss to Prishtina without customs hassle. I went straight to ARKEP office as they didn't answer my email requests on sole info@. Mr Fazli.Shala@arkep-rks.org kindly provided proper admin paper and later account number for 50 Euros fee.
I laughed at my NLB initially rejecting cash payment.
When I returned to ARKEP office on Friday afternoon, big boss was gone and nobody could sign my license.
I had understanding that my immediate operation from motel Evropa near Grachanica monastery is legal. PDF license received on Monday! I managed to set 160 m antenna from the first floor down to small trees with perfect 1:1 SWR at 1830 kHz. However, immediately afterwards RJ-46 6-pin plastic connector failed on TS-480 control head disabling radio for CQ WW CW 160 m. Saturday was great Serbian holiday of Saint Sava and everything was closed.
I was lucky to find Telekom technician Sinisha who showed interest in my broken cable bun no 6 pin plug with plenty of 4 and 8 pin ones!
Trip to Z60A an Faculty of electronics in 10 km away Prishtina, Z61AD several phone calls and he presented me with a single replacement. It was carefully installed and radio powered up some 24 hours late. I moved to my standard, highest 2nd floor, stretched 23 m EFHW to 6 m fishing pole, added 5 m coax with big torus choke, grounded radio to flat heating radiator and enjoyed FT8 pileups ever since! Plenty of red screens answering DX and old friends. Antenna was tuned to 160 m again one hour before the end of CQ WW and CW pileup run follower by 160 m FT8 operation until 1 AM local. I left motel on Monday noon, visited both Z60A locations, enjoyed meeting S50A and S51F with YL Donjeta, Z61DDB and having lunch with G3TXF and OH2BH near Z61DX home. I left Kosovo just before sunset on Monday and Serbia on Thursday. ARRL new LoTW license for Republic of Kosovo quickly received on Friday, 504 FT8 QSO from 20 - 160 m uploaded with 47 CW ones. Facebook is my main social media and lot of thankful emails and SMS received. I had FT8 presentation with S52D for 100+ S5 hams on Saturday. Sunday was legacy trauma with Clublog and OQRS, Paypal and eBay. You can ask for nice paper QSL now via Clublog which happened to be simpler than I imagined. My license is valid for 1 year and cheap flights are available from Ljubljana. Retired people are always short with time as I have to celebrate XYL birthday during WPX RTTY, mine clashes with WPX SSB, warm EA8 in between, WRTC referee in July. Modest pension support all my Kosovo visits including 30 Euros car insurance, 3 x 50 Euros license fees, B&B an food at motel Evropa. You can donate for my future Z6 DX-peds freely at: https://paypal.me/MarioS56A/(amount in USD) I am looking forward to see you on HF FT8 since July 18th, 2017, RTTY and CW contest weekends and even some SSB!
73 de Mario, S56A, N1YU, MSc EE retired, ham since 1962
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