A warm welcome to the Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) to big gun freeband DX Hunter, experienced DXpeditioner, and talented QSL design specialist — 14DA010 Stéphane — from western Europe.
A well-known and much-respected guy across the global 11m DX Community, 14DA010 Stéphane (Seen pictured right) joins our club in mid-December, 2021, eager to make an impression on the improved propagation of Cycle 25 with his new Delta-Alfa callsign!
With an incredible 279 DXCC entities worked and confirmed on 26-27 MHz frequencies over a DXing career of some 30 years, 14DA010 Stéphane (Pictured above in the field during some COTA work) has the qualifications necessary for membership in our great club.
(See https://www.delta-alfa.com/about/membership/ )
In fact, this former AT, FAT, TW, FRI club member from the French Republic becomes one of the blue-chip DX Hunters in DA-RC ranks and will no doubt drive the DX culture of our club in the years to come!
Remarkably, 14DA010 Stéphane also satisfies credentials for DA-RC membership in the DXpeditioner category with a sizable number of successful dx adventures mentioned in the logs of serious DX Hunters.
Renowned 11m data bases confirm, in fact, that he’s experienced in IWI (Inland Water Islands), COTA (Castles & Fortresses On The Air), MOTA (Mills On The Air) and IOTA (Islands On The Air) activities.
As you can see by the pictures above and right, his portable station is a very impressive one indeed!
14DA010 Stéphane resides in Barbières, at the bottom end of the country, a commune in the Drôme department named after the River Drôme.
Located in the picturesque french region Rhône-Alpes, this small village is roughly 200km from the Liguran Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean.
The village, overlooked by the stone filigree of the old castle of Pellafol, stands where the small, enclosed Barberolle valley opens out, on the edge of the Monts du Matin mountains.
This section of the Rhône-Alpes has some incredible sights…
The Le Perthus Gorge is a narrow, rocky gorge, hollowed out by the Barberolle River as it leaves the village, and the starting point for the trunk road leading to the Col de Tourniol.
The gorge is framed by two statues of the Virgin, one in a cave sealed off by a grating to the left of the roadway, the other erected on a rocky peak near the bridge that straddles the torrent to the right.
Another landmark close to 14DA010 Stéphane’s home is the Col de Tourniol.
This mountain pass, perched atop a winding road offering unrestricted views over the plain and the mountains of the Massif Central, constitutes one of the gateways to the Vercors Massif.
Of interest to Castles and Fortresses On The Air (COTA), however, is the Pellafol Castle (ruins).
Seen pictured below, the castle was destroyed in 1595 but according to legend, treasure is supposed to be buried there!
This part of 14 Division is renowned for its sporting activities which draw many thousands of tourists each year to participate.
The Saoü Forest, for example, is a a paradise for hikers and climbing fans.
On foot, by bike or on horseback, several marked paths and itineraries provide a way to discover the totally unspoilt natural environment.
Skiing, cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing are all popular in Winter here too, whilst in Summer, excursions and mountain biking in the mountainous area are common past times.
One of the rare French rivers which can paddled all year long, the 100km long Drôme River is also a great place to practice canoeing and kayaking.
With hundreds of participants and such a picturesque environment, the Open Canoe Festival in one of Europe’s most prestigious canoe events.
In the spring the water flow even allows you to practice rafting.
At the home QTH, 14DA010 Stéphane’s high quality station consists of Yaesu FT-1000 Mk V and Yaesu FT-891 transceivers with matching accessories.
A home-made 4 element yagi on an 8m pylon, high above his rooftop, ices an outstanding personal station.
Like most DA-RC members, 14DA010 Stéphane is also well established for portable operations.
A 3 element delta-loop and skypper antenna are his go-to choices for work in the field, in line with one of his Yaesu rigs, a President Lincoln (pictured below in his truck) and a 250 watt KL-503 amplifier by RM Italy.
14DA010 Stéphane is just as famous off the band as he in on it with his work as 010 Stef’s Designs placing him at the forefront of QSL Designers in the world.
Not only has he volunteered some amazing work for the DA-RC in the last few years, but Stef also creates cards, logos and banners, in fact, for most of the world’s radio clubs and a long list of CB and ham operators.
In addition to being one of the radio community’s leading graphic designers which consumes some of his spare time, 14DA010 Stéphane loves soccer, rally car driving and music.
He works as a truck driver too which sees him travelling across south-eastern France on a daily basis, the mic of a portable rig never too far from his fingertips!
14DA010 Stéphane’s distinct “CQ DX” calls can be heard on the international call frequency, 27.555 MHz upper side band, on a regular basis.
No doubt the magical 300 DXCC mark will be high on list of priorities in the years to come.
Ciao.
It’s possible to watch 338DA/OC027 Log ???
Many thanks
1EK058 Giulio
How can I get a QSL card for communication with the station 235DA / 0
235DA/0 09-07-2022
My call sign 47EE123 – Sebastian from Kopenhagen Denmark
Thanks
It is a great pleasure to join the legendary DA-RC group. Thank my friend Tulio (3DA013) and Darren for their invitation and acceptance into the group.
I hope to honor and participate in making DA-RC reason on the 11m band.
Best regards to all of you, 73s
14DA010 Stéphane