Über mich / about me

Klaus, DK1AX

-- In may, 2011 --

My name is Klaus-Dieter Graef and I live in Ludwigsburg, Baden Wuerttemberg, Germany.

I will place some information and pictures of Ludwigsburg here soon.

I got my amateur radio license in March 1982 and my first QSO I ever had was with DD9MZ, Hans in Augsburg on a 70 cm repeater!
My second QSO was on 10 GHz with a friend who just completed a home-made-TRX. He was testing his new rig and made a "dx-qso" for a distance of about 1500 m!
So I got the opportunity to make a qso too!! What a start in a "DX" career!!

My first callsign was DG3MBC! (Whoever reads these lines and got a qsl from me from those times, I search for these old cards! Contact me please.)

A year and 4 months later, I passed my CW exam and after 862 QSOs on 2m and 70cm in FM and SSB I got my new call sign DH1MAR . CW and DXing should now became two of my greatest passions.

My call sign today is DK1AX

My first QSO in CW - being very nervous and with damp fingers, prescribed text and finally a cramp in my fingers - I had a few days after the CW test with G4RKK on 80 m! Thousands should follow! Today, I am the owner of the DXCC award in CW!

The first DX-QSO I had on 9.7.1983 at 28 MHz with 5N0UDB, Udo in Lagos, Nigeria!
So began my hunting for DX stations and that still has not stopped until today!
During this time I first bought a Kenwood TS 430, I sold it after 2 years and purchased a new ICOM IC 751. I used narrow CW filters, FM module (expecting the open 10-meter band, even to use the repeaters on 29 MHz!) And so on.
This transceiver is still in my possession and was in use almost every day! The receiver part of this ICOM was great! Many tests made later, with much more expensive and more modern equipment from different manufacturers could not top this receiver!

Open minded for all new things I always had fun with the so-called special modes in amateur radio like packet radio, AMTOR, RTTY and now PSK, HELL, SSTV, OLIVIA etc! Everything is written in my log.

By the way, speaking about my log: at the time when I got my license, we had still had to keep a log: containing detailed information about name, location, QSO data, output power and last but not least: signature.
Then, I bound these old logbooks all into two books and so I got two really thick - in the truest sense of the word – logbooks. These books stand in my shack and I always enjoy browsing through them. I will continue it this way for the next years as well.
With the appearance of the computer, I hade to put thousands of QSOs in a dBase database I made, so I used a “homemade” logbook for the next years. Later, I used a commercial program “Swisslog” and today I use HAM-Office, a very good software too! So I am lucky, I have all my QSOs digitally recorded!

As far as the time allowed, I made a lot of homebrewed amateur radio stuff. Less transceivers or so but much VHF, UHF and especially short waves antennas.
I never had the opportunity, to raise big antennas: I have never owned a beam – only long wire antennas. First a FD4 – windom antenna – than a W3DZZ and later only self-made dipoles for different amateur bands.
Today I use a self-made multi band dipole which I feed symmetrically. My motto: better 100 watt into a dipole than 1 kW into a dummy!
With these antennas I reached the DXCC in mixed mode and the DXCC in CW!!! And a lot of other awards (see the homepage).
Until now, I never had a PA! I made “qrm” with maximum 100 W. Amazing, it was fine with low power too. Practicing HAM-spirit, a good operating technique, ability and patience always helped me!
In the future perhaps I will experience something new: I will try to get familiar with a ACOM 1000.

These antennas and this power output gave me until today exactly 266 DXCC entities which I worked, and were confirmed 253 by QSL cards (in mai 2011).
For my website I have scanned all my QSL cards of all confirmed DXCC entities and put them online.
A comment in this case: it is very disappointing for me, seeing the returning quote of the QSL cards! Especially the DX stations – the “very rare” stations – you really have to “buy” every card! Often I have to spend about 5 EUR – which is about 9 US$ to get a rare card!! I can remember other times!

But I have also positive, unforgettable experiences! My best QSO for ever!
One day I called in CW on 15m "cq cq". To be honest: I didn’t aspect any answer! Who expects an answer with 100 W and an indoor FD4-windom?? But a station was coming back to my call, a little bit quite, but good to copy! The call sign was quick written on paper and I had a great QSO with Juan! Not only “faifnainnain tu gl”. For the first moment I didn’t associate the call HK0ER with a rare station, but after I finish the QSO, I amazed to hear hundreds of stations calling Juan! So I was the lucky first one, then a very big pile up starts – a pile up, where I never had a chance to break it with my equipment! After that, I took a look in the callbook and in my radio amateur’s map and found San Andres Island!! I was proud and happy, I had worked this station! By the way, we exchanged QSLs via direct! This QSL is one of the most beautiful and precious for me!

What perhaps is important too: from 1993 to 2006 – this is 13 long years – I was QRT ! No microphone and no keyer in my hands! Sometimes, the life tooks the microphone in his hand and is doing his own qso!

But once HAM, HAM for ever!
Today I am qrv from 2m, 6m, 10m (if the sunspots are with us) to 160m!!
I had the opportunity to operate from:

… to be continued!

I hope to make a QSO with you!
Okay, that's it for now about me.
For questions, comments or suggestions or for a sked: please send me a mail or call me on the qrg!!
Klaus-Dieter Graef
- DK1AX -