In the age of 16, back in 1973, I became one of the youngest radio amateurs in Germany. During that time the law was strict and you had to be 18 to get a HAM radio license. It was not easy, but thanks to the intervention of our local Amateur Radio Club (DARC Mainz), the officials made an exception and let me pass the examination two years earlier! I was issued the call DK7PE without limitations!
What brought me into Ham Radio?
When I was a young boy I was fascinated about anything regarding radio communication. Even a broken, flashing neon street light could make me think about secret Morse code messages… but I still couldn’t understand them (Hi). Soon I built my first “transmitter”, at the age of ten, out of a battery, a coil and several meters of wire. Not to forget the key out of a metal strip. It was really magic, being heard with a “knack, knack knack” on any AM radio in up to 200m around our house. A new world opened up when I got my first used DRAKE 2-B receiver. Being an SWL and listening to stations thousands of miles away, like King Namgyal AC3PT out of the Kingdom of Sikkim, the voice of well-known Father Moran 9N1MM from the “Top of the World” or the dramatic emergency call of YN1DS after the biggest ever earthquake in Managua/Nicaragua, was so exciting that I spent hours on the radio until late in the night, just listening.
What has been the biggest highlight of my Ham Radio experience?
There were so many highlights I remember, so to mention my TN0CW operation out of Congo or TL0CW (Central African Republic) and many others. One of them was certainly my very first opportunity to operate from outside of Germany, back in 1978 during a four weeks low budget trip to Egypt. There I was as allowed to guest-operate VO1LX/SU out of the UN-Camp in Ismailia/Egypt. It was inconceivable to sit on the other side of a pile-up for the very first time. From this day on, the combination of traveling and Amateur Radio was the most exciting combination in our hobby – to me!
When did I win my first DX award?
In January 1985 I completed my 5BDXCC. This was a hard one to me, because I only had rather poor antennas. But I continued and finally I also completed the 5BWAZ, where zone 12 and 31 on 80m were the most difficult ones to work. With the years I had travelled a lot and had activated several DXCC countries.
My operations were financially limited and so were the locations I could go. Therefore, I concentrated on 160m and of course CW. In this combination there were countless possible DX locations available for me.
I knew the pile-ups from both sides and I thought: Why shouldn’t it be possible to operate out of 100 DXCC countries? This aim I reached back in the 1995 and today I have operated out of #143 DXCC entities.
During my One Man DXpeditions I always had to watch the maximum weight I could carry around. Therefore, I designed wire antennas that fit in my suitcase and were ready to operate within a short time. A Three Element Jumper Beam from 40-10m and Slopers for the low bands were always with me.
What would I say is the best part of being a Ham?
To me, the best part in our hobby is that have a chance get in contact with people in almost every corner and culture on earth. Though we have heard but never seen each other before, we have so many stories to talk about. Due our hobby I have met people I would never had a chance to meet without being a HAM. Amateur Radio gave me a chance to see the whole world out of a different perspective.
What advice would I give to new Hams and those looking to get into Ham Radio?
Amateur Radio can have a very positive influence on your whole life. It gives you the great chance to become a real internationalist and widening your personal horizon, not only geographical and in languages but also in understanding other cultures. To me, Amateur Radio was the best that could ever happen to me. It became to me, literally speaking “A bridge to the world!”
Amateur Radio isn’t a virtual game on the computer – it’s a real adventure! I have many examples where a QSL card opened doors to premises protected like a castle. And if somebody says, why do I need Amateur radio, when I have a mobile phone, I reply: Would you ever ask a mountain climber: “Why do you climb a high mountain, when you can do it easily by using a helicopter?” Shure not! Even though most of us don’t know the feeling of having climbed a mountain, we can imagine that there is something indescribable! And it is the same with our hobby, even in a time of mobile phones and Internet. Amateur Radio is more than talking to someone. It is real and may fascinate you for your whole life. Go and find it out!
What next?
In 2017 I finished working, so I have more time to travel. It is my aim to activate some more DX countries and if I am lucky I will complete #200 one day.