– November 14, 2020Posted in: Meet the Members

Qualified ham operator and genuine 11m DX Hunter 155DA441 Gary, from the island of Taiwan in east Asia, joins our Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) in November 2020, determined to make Cycle 25 a memorable experience for himself and his friends in the DA-RC.

11m band Cluster archives prove that island station 155DA441 Gary (formerly 155TW441) is currently Taiwan’s most prominent DX Hunter; a professional guy whom emphatically satisfies our club’s membership requirements in the ‘DX Hunter Category’ with 100+ DXCC worked and confirmed. (See https://www.delta-alfa.com/about/membership/).

On the Tropic of Cancer (the Northern Tropic), and in the cross currents of the Philippine and South China Sea, 155DA441 Gary’s island DXCC — Taiwan (155 Division) — lies some 180 km across the Taiwan Strait from the southeastern coast of mainland China (203 Division).

In arrangement with the Radio Society of Great Britain’s IOTA program, Taiwan Island (Also known as “Formosa”), carries the IOTA reference AS-020 and the proof suggests that this DXCC remains one of the most hotly sought after of references for European DX Hunters in particular.

According to the atlas, the East China Sea lies to Taiwan’s north, the Philippine Sea to its east, the Luzon Strait directly to its south and the South China Sea to its southwest.

155DA441 Gary’s island consists of mostly 5 rugged mountain ranges parallel to the east coast, and the flat to gently rolling plains of the western third, where the majority of Taiwan’s population reside.

There’s several peaks over 3500m here, the highest being Yu Shan at 3952m, making Taiwan the world’s fourth-highest island.

The eastern mountains are heavily forested and home to a diverse range of wildlife, while land use in the western and northern lowlands is intensive.

Smaller islands and possible IOTA dxstinations include a number of entities in the Taiwan Strait including the Penghu archipelago, the Kinmen and Matsu Islands near the Chinese coast, and some of the South China Sea Islands.

155DA441 Gary’s city is that of Taichung, a special municipality located in central Taiwan with a population of approximately 2.82 million people.

Bordering Changhua County, Nantou County, Hualien County, Yilan County, Hsinchu County and Miaoli County, it’s Taiwan’s second most populous city and home to many interesting sights.

Originally called “the Kyoto of Formosa” in the Japanese era because of its calm and beauty, the city is home to the National Museum of Natural Science, the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, the National Taichung Theater, the National Library of Public Information, and the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, as well as many cultural sites, including the historic Taichung Park, the Lin Family Gardens, and many temples.

In Taichung, 155DA441 Gary owns an apartment which houses an impressive station with Yaesu TS-950 and ICOM IC-718 transceivers, a vertical GP for 11m and a 19.2m multi band wire antenna for 3.5/7/14/21/28MHz (80m/40m/20m/15m/10m).

155DA441 Gary also has a second radio shack in the country with a great set-up, away from the hustle and bustle of the main city and a great get-away from his country’s warm humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa).

155DA441 Gary is a retired air force serviceman from the Thai military.

His career here was as a Maintenance engineer.

When he’s not hunting DX on any one of the bands, 155DA441 Gary enjoys keeping fit by going jogging each day and spending time with his wife and family.

He also loves making new friends!

In addition to chasing elusive DX, 155DA441 Gary’s passion for the hobby is fully evident in his love of collecting old CB walkie talkies and vintage CB base stations.

Like the majority of DA-RC Members, 155DA441 Gary can be found QRV on the 11m International Call Frequency which is 27.555 MHz USB or others close by.

Once you’ve established contact, here you can arrange a QSL confirmation card for his IOTA Station via the details below…