The Dx Adventure Radio Club is delighted to introduce to you member 68DA101 Joe from the town of Lairne, a 1000 year old seaport on the east coast of County Antrim in Northern Ireland.
One of the United Kingdom’s standout 11m DX practitioners, Joe’s callsign is a common entry in the logs of most whopping DXpeditions in recent years, with IOTA activities and contest stations being high on his hit list also.
Like most DA-RC guys though, 68DA101 Joe also enjoys a casual ragchew with mates situated in the UK and other EU DXCC; fantastic friendships established over a period of some 30 years involvement in the hobby and past memberships with famous clubs like Alfa Tango.
68DA101 Joe’s home QTH sits on the western side of a narrow inlet that links Larne Lough to the sea. On the eastern side is a peninsula called Islandmagee while to the west is the ancient volcanic formation of Antrim Plateau, with its spectacular glaciated valleys scenically sweeping down to the sea to the north in what are known as the ‘Glens of Antrim’. Possible Summit On The Air (SOTA) DX opportunities? Maybe!
Larne is only 50 odd km from the Scottish mainland too, with stunning views across the North Channel towards the Mull of Kintyre, Rhins of Galloway, Islay and Paps of Jura often visible from the Larne area.
In addition to being an efficacious DX Hunter, 68DA101 Joe is practised in the field of DXpedition work, having activated Rathlin Island (EU-122) off the coast of County Antrim in 2013, under the guise of the Echo Tango DX Group.
Other nearby DX entities certain to be on his DX radar in the coming years include the Chaine Memorial Tower, an amazing cylindrical stone tower lighthouse with a conical roof situated on the west side of entrance to Larne Lough, the ruins of 13th-century Olderfleet Castle at Curran Point, and the Castle and estate of the Earl of Antrim in the nearby fishing village of Glenarm.
According to online tourist brochures, other popular sites include a number of Christian churches, numerous parks and sandy beaches, Viking burial sites and artifacts and other military relics.
In the hobby, a Yaesu FT-2000 transceiver takes pride of place on Joe’s shack bench-top, alongside a collection of other rigs and DX-cessories, while outside, high above the house, stands a tower with a 5 element yagi antenna at its summit. With a couple of hundred DXCC worked and confirmed to his name, no doubt it’s one helluva DX weapon!
In his spare time, away from the radio comms hobby, our ‘Mic Magician’ is a family man whom enjoys walking and cycling the many parks of his home town.
And there’s just so many to choose from too with the Town Park which sits above the picturesque Promenade area, with walks from Waterloo Bay towards the Chaine Memorial Tower at Sandy Bay, Chaine Park which contains the burial site of James Chaine and offers picturesque views over the North Channel, Curran park with its tributes to emigrants to North America, Carnfunnock Country Park, with camping, caravanning, gardens, the maze of Northern Ireland, and more.
Chances are you‘ll find Joe there enjoying the great outdoors too, the perfect downtime when he’s not calling CQ DX on one of the 11m band’s calling frequencies!
QSL Info
- TBA
Grazie per il bel qso Marino
Thank you for the QSO, you come very hard 5/8 on the French Atlantic coast.
Thank you for the good weekend QSO Joe to you and your family.
14DA033 Laurent 73/212
Just want to say thanks for letting me in on your conversation with Richard the other day…Unfortunally i misplaced the paper on which i wrote down your data so i could not place the qso in my log.
Anyway…thanks again…hope we meet again on the frequencies.
73`s, Ron
Hello Joe, it was great to speak with you today on 27.576 with 5/7&5/9 from Cape Town!
All the best,
Alex and Natalie 44DA137&44DA111
Hi Joe,
thank you so much for the nice qso!
I’d like to know your mail coordinates to send you my qsl card!
Thank you so much!
73s
lorenzo
Hello JOE
I am 1TDT008 Giorgio
thanks to the contact frequency 11MT 27490
it’s always nice to find operators friendly.
If you like we can exchange the QSL, in this case, let me know how your shipping address.
Thanks for all.
7351 Giorgio
Hi Joe,
Its great to have you “on board” mate… good luck with your 68DA101 callsign.
Welcome Mate..
Hello Joe,
Big welcome and big hugh to you and the family.
Catch you soon on the air and see you in august.
88
Syl