📡 October 2025 Logbook Analysis: Rare DX and Band Activity
October 2025 delivered an outstanding month of radio propagation, allowing me (SV0SYH, KN10LO) to log some nice DXs, particularly spanning the vast Pacific Ocean and securing contacts with rare entities in Africa and the Caribbean.
🌎 HF DXpedition and Rare DX Catches
The HF bands were wide open, enabling contacts with extremely distant and rare DXCC entities. The focus was strongly on Oceania and Africa, with multiple contacts logged over 16,000 km.
| Call | DXCC Entity | Band | Mode | Continent | Distance (km) | Date (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E6AD 🇳🇺 | Niue | 17m, 15m, 10m | FT4, FT8 | Oceania (OC) | 17304 | Oct 10, 14 |
| 5W1SA 🇼🇸 | Samoa | 17m | FT8 | Oceania (OC) | 16716 | Oct 14 |
| VK9DX 🇳🇫 | Norfolk Island | 15m | FT8 | Oceania (OC) | 16596 | Oct 15 |
| FW5K 🇼🇫 | Wallis & Futuna Is. | 15m | FT8 | Oceania (OC) | 16451 | Oct 21 |
| ZD7CTO 🇸🇭 | Saint Helena | 12m | FT8 | Africa (AF) | 6948 | Oct 27 |
| D2A 🇦🇴 | Angola | 60m, 17m | FT8 | Africa (AF) | ~5601 | Oct 20, 23 |
| 6O3T 🇸🇴 | Somalia | 40m, 17m, 15m, 10m | FT8 | Africa (AF) | ~4024 | Oct 21, 22 |
| TJ1GD 🇨🇲 | Cameroon | 17m | FT8 | Africa (AF) | 4299 | Oct 29 |
| 5K0UA 🇨🇴 | San Andres Island | 17m | FT8 | North America (NA) | Oct 19, 22 |
Securing contacts with Niue 🇳🇺 and Samoa 🇼🇸 proved the robustness of F2 layer propagation paths crossing the globe to the South Pacific. The successful multi-band contacts with 6O3T 🇸🇴 (Somalia).
🛰️ Satellite Activity (QO-100 & RS-44)
Satellite operation was very active this month, resulting in nice contacts on both GEO and LEO satellites.
QO-100 (13cm / 3cm Geostationary)
| Call | DXCC Entity | Band/Mode | Distance (km) | Date (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YB5QZ 🇮🇩 | Indonesia | 13cm CW | 9000 | Oct 6 |
| D2A 🇦🇴 | Angola | 13cm CW | 5601 | Oct 22 |
| M0KJE 🇬🇧 | England | 13cm CW | 2149 | Oct 8 |
| EU2AA 🇧🇾 | Belarus | 13cm CW | 1556 | Oct 6 |
RS-44 (2m / 70cm LEO)
| Call | DXCC Entity | Band/Mode | Distance (km) | Date (UTC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VU2LBW 🇮🇳 | India | 2m/70cm FT4 | 6117 | Oct 15 |
| EA8ARI 🇪🇸 | Canary Islands | 2m/70cm SSB | 3925 | Oct 14 |
| A61NN 🇦🇪 | U.A.E. | 2m/70cm SSB | 3450 | Oct 3 |
| SM/UA1CBX 🇸🇪 | Sweden | 2m/70cm FT4 | 2680 | Oct 13 |
📶 The Magic Band (6m) Activity
The 6-meter band (50 MHz) continued its reputation for incredible openings, with a number of notable new DXCC entities.
-
Long-Distance DX on 6m (Over 7,000 km):
- KH0/KC0W 🇲🇵 (QK25vf) (Mariana Islands) at 11,460 km (Oceania - OC).
- PY2XB 🇧🇷 (GG66PI) (Brazil) at 10,130 km (South America - SA).
- PZ5RA 🇸🇷 (GJ25) (Suriname) at 8,598 km (South America - SA).
- XW4KV 🇱🇦 (OK18GS) (Laos) at 7,800 km (Asia - AS).
- ZS6KED 🇿🇦 (KG33WU) (Rep. of South Africa) at 7,439.3 km (Africa - AF).
-
Other Notable 6m DX:
- 6O3T 🇸🇴 (LJ29) (Somalia) at 4,083 km (Africa - AF).
- EA8SG 🇪🇸 (IL18SI) (Canary Islands) at 3,823 km (Africa - AF).
73 and good DX! SV0SYH