Our Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) is delighted to introduce to you 283DA010 Alec from the pocket-sized West Indian island of Saint Kitts, a fascinating DXstination known for it’s cloud-shrouded mountains and beaches, in addition to being a ‘rare on’ on any one of the bands!

A licensed ham radio operator and well-honed Freeband DXer, Alec signs with the DA-RC family in early February 2022, amidst great excitement within the club.

From day 1, too, he’s guaranteed to be one of the most intensely pursued of North American (NA) stations throughout Solar Cycle 25!

283DA010 Alec easily satisfies DA-RC membership requirements in the DX Hunter category with 121 DXCC worked and confirmed on the eleven meter band.

This remarkable attainment stems from a 30 year involvement in radio comms, making him somewhat of a veteran in the hobby!

Officially known as ‘Saint Christopher Island’, Alec’s home QTH — Saint Kitts — is one of 2 picturesque islands that comprise the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis (283 Division), the other being Nevis.

Referenced as NA-104 under the guise of the World IOTA Program, both St Kitts and Nevis islands are hotly sought after IOTA entities in the ham and 11m band communities respectively, separated only by a shallow 3km channel known as “The Narrows”.

St Kitts is an island renowned for its virgin coral reefs crowded with glittering rainbow fish and green sea turtles and warm, iridescent waters along pristine island shores.

Google Earth shows the western side of St. Kitts borders the Caribbean Sea, while the eastern coast faces the mighty Atlantic Ocean.

Just 10 km away from Sint Eustatius (NA-145) (Formerly 166 Division) to the north, Saint Kitts is just 37 km long and 8 km wide, is oval in shape, and has an area of 176 square km.

The capital of 283DA010 Alec’s two-island nation, and also its largest port, is the town of Basseterre on Saint Kitts.

There’s a modern facility for handling large cruise ships there also, to help facilitate tourism which is it’s largest industry.

A ring road goes around the perimeter of the island, as well, with smaller roads branching off it; the interior of the island is too steep for habitation.

According to 283DA010 Alec, there are lots of terrific vantage points here for field and portable DX operations!

One such location is Mount Liamuiga, formerly Mount Misery, a dormant volcano some 1156 m high.

This is home to a crater lake, green vervet monkeys and rainforest crisscrossed with hiking trails.

As well as a volcano, there are many incredible landmarks on this island that are worthy of a mention…

Pictured above, Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, for example, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of historical, cultural and architectural significance.

Ideal for activation as a Castles and Fortresses On The Air (COTA) entity, this centuries-old citadel is a monument to the ingenuity of the British military engineers who designed it and to the skill and strength of the African slaves who built it on the steep at the risk and probable loss of lives.

Other popular landmarks include the 18th century Fairview Great House & Botanical Gardens, the Treasury Building, Romney Manor, St. George’s Anglican Church, the Church of Immaculate Conception and the Government House

As the images show, 283DA010 Alec’s station is well-equipped for DX mastery, with an impressive collections of rigs, sticks and DX-cessories that includes studio mics, EQ gear and much more!

For work on the Freeband, one of his radios is a Ranger RCI-2970N2 DX with AM-FM-SSB-CW modes, designed for 10 & 12m but modified to include access to 26 and 27 MHz frequencies.

This mobile rig is ideally suited as a base transceiver also, and packs an impressive 200 watt punch!

Others include an IC-7300 by ICOM and a Galaxy-DX-959 40 Channel AM/SSB mobile CB radio with digital frequency counter.

283DA010 Alec’s antennas include a 3 element home-brew yagi with supreme directional capabilities and 5.5m long Antron 99 vertical by Solarcon.

One of the best fiberglass constructions on the market, this latter antenna boasts a 9.9 dBi gain and is a proven performer on the citizens band in coastal areas.

Other antennas erected outside of 283DA010 Alec’s home include a host of wires and yagis for 80m-10m.

On his membership form, 283DA010 Alec lists music and sports as his 2 most preferred past times, in addition to radio operations of course.

It’s his work as a healthcare professional, however, to which he’s most committed and in the current climate, with Covid impacting heavily on the world, his role is crucial to the St Kitts community.

Alec is a qualified paramedic whose primary role is to provide advanced emergency medical care for critical and emergent patients.

Like the majority of DA-RC members, 283DA010 Alec on St Kitts island is QRV on the international call frequency, 27.555 MHz USB.

His “CQ DX” calls are certain to be snatched up by the world’s population of IOTA Hunters who’ll be eager for the special 283 Division QSL card which is available from DA-RC HQ Oceania.

QSL INFOS

* Via DA-RC HQ SA

* Contribution: $3 US + SAE