DXCC status.

During 5 years of holiday activity with low power.

My station in 2007 .

2007

After many years of holidays in The Gambia, crossing the land from the east to the west and from the South to the north. My first time was in 1996, see my other Gambia links on this website. I’m decided in 2006 to bring my radio equipment with me for the next stay over. However in Belgium my favorite part of my hobby is microwave. So my experience on HF is not like a regular HF ham .
So I setup my HF-radio station for 3 weeks in February 2007 for the first time the smallest country of Africa .
My equipment was: TS2000( Barefoot) and a FD4 Dipole .

Fd4 in the garden .

On that time also C5DXC was active in The Gambia, and my qth was about 500 Meter away from him . So together with Noz I had a great time and a lot of dx fun. Not very big dx but for my first time in Gambia as C56YK the result was good.
In September 2007 I was back and this time with my FD4 and a spider beam for 20 till 10 meter . The propagation on 80 and 40 Meter band was very poor . On 20 and 17 Meter band this two bands sounds like normal . The 15 and 12 meter band like also normal but the activity was very low On 10 meter there are very good sporadic E' openings direction of Europe and also in Africa .
Anyway there was a big different between my first visit and now, so my DXCC status on the end of September was 84 countries .

5 Band Spiderbeam .

2008

So back on the same location with exactly the same setup. One time in February and the second in October . The propagation during the two visits for 80 and 40 Meter band was below expextations. On 20 / 17 and 15 Meters the conditions sounds like normal . The 12 and 10 meter band like also normal but the activity was very low . In February on 30 meter digital ( PSK31) , this was my first entry on that band, only with an inverted dipole , just a few contacts . In October On 30 meter digital ( PSK31) very good contacts but my Micro Keyer II make a lot of qrm in my TX/RX .

My 5 Band Spiderbeam in Kotu .

A new location was found and my spider beam was now on the roof of a two story building near off the coast, in Kotu . The area around the house was too small to setup something for 80 or 40 Meter. But the effect that now the spider beam was on the top of the roof was amazing . A lot of contacts on all bands between 20 and 10 Meter. Also the antenna view to the see was very imported. I was able to work many stations in the USA . Stations in Europe were like always strong but to cross that wall is not easy . So to work stations from Asia, Japan and others is a big work and I ask sometimes myself, how I can pass by the Europe wall . In October I must move out from my location in Kotu. Fortunately very quick I found a new location , not as good as before but...

My 5 Band Spiderbeam in Kerr Serign .

Just a one story building and only active with my spider beam . On that Qth I was two times active, one in February and the second time in October.
On the end of October 2009 I become a new callsign , C5YK, the last QSO with C56YK was on October, 29, 2009 . Many thanks to all for the very nice contacts and a will work you again from the Gambia as C5YK.

In spite of the fact that many stations will have a contact with my, sometimes for my in very difficult moments because of regular power cut offs during day and night, I will thanks everybody for his patience .