QSK Pacific Island station!
Our Dx Adventure Radio Club (DA-RC) is delighted to introduce to you Tommy from the volcano flecked Indonesian archipelago in the hotly sought after Oceania (OC) DX region.
Pictured above in his home shack, Tommy has been issued with the Delta-Alfa callsign 91DA119.
In late November 2021, this OM joins an ultra impressive team of 91 division hobbyists who represent our club with such distinction on Freeband frequencies from this astonishing equatorial nation.
A licensed general class ham for more than a decade, plus a keen 27 MHz DX enthusiast, 91DA119 Tommy has more than 15 years’ involvement in radio comms.
A passion for antenna design/construction and technical aspects of electronics, combined with the practical components of RX/TX across all recognised amateur bands, as well as 11m SSB transmissions, warrants 91DA119 Tommy’s acceptance into our great club.
The 2022 DA-RC Directory will confirm that 91DA119 Tommy lives in the cultural melting pot that is Jakarta on the northwest coast of Java island.
As an IOTA entity, Tommy’s island QTH is mentioned in the World IOTA Program directory as OC-021, in step with the Radio Society of Great Britain’s IOTA program.
Regarded as the ideal entryway to other rare IOTA dxstinations, Java is the world’s most populous island and one of 17,000 in this incredibly diverse DXCC.
According to Google Earth, Java lies southeast of Malaysia (58/113 divisions) and Sumatra (OC-143), south of Borneo (OC-088), and west of Bali (OC-022).
91DA119 Tommy’s city, Jakarta, is the largest in Southeast Asia and the centre of the economy, culture and politics of Indonesia.
His district there, Kebayoran Lama, is situated in South Jakarta, a stone’s throw from Jakarta Bay where islands such as Damar Besar (uninhabited) and Ayer (only 15 – 20 min from Ancol Marina) are just 2 of 70 potential IOTA dxstinations in the fiercely coveted Seribu Islands IOTA group (OC-177).
Astoundingly, only Karya/Cina and Kaliage islands have ever before been activated in this IOTA group according to the Islands Base Online database, both in 2001, more than 20 years ago.
On Java island (also spelled Jawa or Djawa), 91DA119 Tommy’s district, Kebayoran Lama, is renowned for the Tanah Kusir Cemetery (Seen below).
This the sacred burial place of Mohammad Hatta, the first vice president of Indonesia.
The Kebayoran Lama Market, Pondok Indah Golf and Country Club, Pondok Indah Grand Mosque, Pondok Indah Mall and Gandaria City are other prominent places visited by locals and tourists.
As the top picture shows, 91DA119 Tommy’s station is readily equipped for DX success on phone and digital modes such as FT8, a weak signal application for amateur radio which utilize a computer’s sound card.
An ICOM IC-756 Pro III all-mode transceiver provides extraordinary RX features coupled with TX audio brilliance (e.g. 32-bit DSP) across all HF/VHF bands, including WARC and the Freeband.
Attached to a mast and coaxial cable high above his residence is a half-wave Sigma IV vertical antenna.
This radiates superb omnidirectional signal possibilities to all continents on 26-27-28 MHz frequencies from his base station and ensures his modulation is always prominent in the headphones of DX stations.
Other antennas used by 91DA119 Tommy include a delta loop full size, yagi 15m-10m, and a Highgain V2R 2m vertical which covers 138-175 MHz and has a 5.2 dBi gain.
Like a number of his fellow DA-RC members, 91DA119 Tommy also operates on HamSphere.
This is a fantastic ham radio program in which users like Tommy create a virtual station with modularized transceiver and antenna choices (e.g. yagi, quad, vertical and wire antenna) and plug-ins.
They then chase DX via a virtual Ionosphere which is based on sun spot numbers and solar flux values.
Like most of our 91 division team, Tommy is a member of ORARI — the national member society representing Indonesia in the International Amateur Radio.
In addition to providing a reliable QSL bureau, ORARI represents the interests of Indonesian hams before Indonesian and international regulatory authorities.
A long and distinguished career in the finance industry now behind him, more specifically as a banker with Citibank, 91DA119 Tommy now has time to relax with family members and pursue a number of hobbies and leisure pursuits in addition to radio comms.
Music, for example, is a big part of his life.
“I like all beautiful music with good lyrics,” he says.
“I love The Beatles & Queen in particular.”
91DA119 Tommy also identifies travel as a major distraction from the hustle and bustle of life in Indonesia.
In fact, he has been to some parts of Europe, US, Asia, Middle East.
91DA119 Tommy’s VFO is mostly set on the international call frequency 27.555 MHz USB.
He’s also QRV on his country’s immensely popular chat frequency in the lower portion of the 11m band, 27.305 MHz USB.
When sunspots permit, 91DA119 Tommy enjoys working sporadic E-skip and propagation with all major DX markets, including Europe (EU) and the Americas (SA/NA), and is keen to exchange a QSL card with any operator to confirm a contact with his OC-021 station.
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