Ceska verze

OK1DX / KF9VM - Pavel Váchal

license class A

Addr: Zahradni 511, 345 62 HOLYSOV, Czech republic
WW grid: JN69no - lat: 49 35.38 N long: 13 06.58 E

HAM curriculum vitae

Born 1963, first experience with HAM radio at age 11, mastering CW at age 13, SWL activity, first QSOs from club station OK1KRY. At age 15 first private license - OL3AXS (prefix OL indicated special permission for young people age 15 to 19). During OL era activity mostly on 160m (contests, DXing - awards 500 OK, WAC 160m), less on 2m and 70cm. Taking part in high speed telegraphy competitions organised by Central radio club. At age 19 "full" license OK1DXS, continuing 160m activity, other bands later. 1987 3 month stay in GDR - Y29CL (diplom work in Dresden). 1990 start of maritime mobile activity (OK4DXS/mm - radio officer by Czech Ocean Shipping company). 1994 callsign change to OK1DX, FCC exams and another call KF9VM. 1998 QRT at sea. During my /MM era I had a great opportunity to personally meet radio amateurs in many countries of the world (W, VE, PY, LU, OA, G, DL, SP, I, YL, UA, VU, JA, VK, ...) and verify that his hobby knows no border and no differences between the people. At the present less time for the hobby due to QRL load - longer stay in DL, BY, HL (working as computer programmer) without opportunity to build a HAM station / antenna system there. I plan to move to new QTH in Sumava mountain (730m ASL), to build a new antenna system there will be another challenge.

Contests

I faced with contesting from very beginning of my HAM activity; first on VHF with club station OK1KRY, later on HF, especially when I got an own ticket. Since move in 1982 to Holysov I have been fully engaged in contest activity of club OK1KQJ / OL3A. Despite the fact I am not very competitive the contests attracted me for some reasons: as a social event with good friends, opportunity to make a lot of QSOs and to test the equipment. CQWW/WPX contests are my favourites, I take part there mostly in MS category (OK1KQJ, OL3A, LX5A, DL0DX), as single op I enjoy CQWW 160m, ARRL and IARU HF contests, W1BB memorial contest. Time to time I joined OL3Y (OK1KYY) during 144 MHz contests. RTTY contests are for me a pleasant change, not very demanding (SARTG, CQWW).

DXing

DX contacts must attract everybody who takes the HAM hobby seriously. Of course during the time my opinion what's a DX changed - since initial enthusiasm that I was able to communicate with distant station till real DX traffic, band monitoring... My favourite band was and still is a 160m, especially in era when it was really a gentleman's band (DXCC 160m in 1987). I have a lot of great pleasant experience from meeting of OK DX TOP band group, meeting of OL operators etc. My interest to other bands started later as I was allowed to operate there and got an equipment; my DXCC score increased slowly but steadily (5B DXCC in 1992, 5B WAZ in 2003). Recently I decided to prefer 18 MHz band because I have a good antenna there and because of lack of time for whole HF spectrum. The most recent success is DXCC Honor roll #1 (all DXCC countries confirmed), I would like to accoplish 160m WAZ (last missing zone 06 - XE), satellite DXCC and 50 MHz DXCC. I enjoy VHF DX traffic as well, 50 MHz is a great band, 144 MHz is very nice during Es or aurora opening...

Electronics

brought me to HAM radio. I have been always interested how the things works and electronics is a great challenge in that view. Of course because I enjoy DXing and contesting most of my constructions are close related to that: transceiver projects, linear amplifiers, electronic keyers... Later I begun with digital electronics, esp. when I got my first computer - Sinclair ZX81. I created own RTTY program written in assembler and hardware interface in 1983. Since beginning I am interested in digital modes - first with mechanical teletype in 1980, Amtor since 1992, Pactor 1993, PSK31 1999. I own a RTTY DXCC award since 1994. Antenna building projects (antennas, towers, rotators, indicators) are part of the hobby as well as you can see on the pictures. I am fascinated by possibilities of new electronic components, especialy single chip microcontrollers (my own design of azimuth-elevation rotor controller AVROT). As side effect of my interest to high tech electronics is my activity on HAM satellites (starting on LEO satellites like RS10, later AO10, AO13, AO40, recently VO52, AO51 etc.; some experiments with orbital station MIR). It is definitely very interesting area for experiments, but it can hard compete to HF... I am a technician of club's packet radio node OK0NAL.

Me and CW

Telegraphy is for me one of the most important thing, I cannot imagine HAM radio without it. I learned it at beginning, have used it every day (for some time also as part of my job). During my OL era I enjoyed long discussions with colleagues of my age on 160 mtrs using that mode that was great training for me (because of that time regulation we had to write whole text of QSO into logbook; I still keep my logs from that time - funny reading :-). No wonder I mastered it soon on some level - then I often took part in QRQ championships of Czechoslovakia (once champion in junior category, once as men), in 1999 I took part in world championship in Pordenone (Italy) as member of Czech team. That I prefer CW HF contest is without doubt, it's definitely much more fun than SSB or digital modes. But I refuse the opinion that CW is the thing that makes from normal man a HAM (btw, do you think HAM is still a "normal man"?) and that must be required to get higher class license. I am persuaded that it is a feeling of being part of one big group of crazy people with common interest and keeping of basic principles of HAM spirit. Of course, such things are hard to testify by exam committee :-))

Other interests

I enjoy some experiments with personal computers (or is it still part of HAM radio?) - hardware, Linux (own linux console program for logbook maintenance using MySQL database,..), ride a bicycle (radio club is about 8 km from my QTH, it's a nice short trip..) or listen to Czech folk and country music. I am still single, because of all of that in have no time for "other activities" :-)