Review of 2007
During 2007, I made a total of 341 radio contacts as M0BLF and M0BLF/P. A total of 57 countries were contacted, 42 on speech-based modes and 43 on Morse Code. 50 countries were spoken to on 14MHz. I only managed to contact one all-time new country this year: Montenegro (4O). I sadly did not manage to contact the 3B7C operation from St. Brandon in September, as I was not in the UK for most of the time that they were there. My QSO totals are low because I have spent a lot more time in Birmingham this year, where I do not have a decent station, and because most of my 'spare time' has gone into work for IOTA.
Month-by-month
- February - Operation in the Championnat de France contest, making 35 QSOs
- April - Attended the Visalia DX Convention in California, demonstrating the new IOTA website, for which I was senior software developer.
- May - Attended the Dayton Hamvention in Ohio, demonstrating the new IOTA website and working on the RSGB stand. I also made 150 QSOs in the CQ WW WPX CW Contest.
- June - At the start of the month, I went with G3ZAY and G7VJR to operate a few SOTA Summits in the Peak District. On 21st June, the new IOTA website was launched.
- July - Made 17 QSOs in the IARU Contest and 101 QSOs in the IOTA Contest.
- August - Went to the WWYC Meeting in Munich and made 7 QSOs in the YO DX Contest
- September - I was an operator on the Cambridge University Wireless Society DXpedition to the Les Minquiers islands as GH6UW.
- October - Participated in the CQ WW DX SSB contest from Cambridge University Wireless Society (M4A) and attended the RSGB's HF and IOTA Convention, where I demonstrated the new IOTA website.
- December - Participated in the WWYC Lidfest.
2008 will be a busy year for me as I finish my PhD course, leaving less time for radio. Hopefully, I'll be moving from Birmingham in the summer, though, so I might be able to get on a bit more once my studies are complete. It also looks as though the new solar cycle is about to start, which should make the year a little more optimistic (though we won't see much change in 2008 of course).