7QNL - DXpeditioning as it should be.

12m hasn't exactly been buzzing recently.  In fact, other than occasional bursts of activity into Latin America, it's been pretty dead.

So, it was a bit of a surprise to hear any signal on 12m this morning during a quick coffee break.  More of a surprise was that it was emanating from the rare DX entity of Malawi!

Thanks, no doubt, to the lack of interest in 12m due to its current deadness, I was able to get a call in with little trouble, and banked on 'up 5' in the '5 to 10 up' range as likely to get 7QNL's attention.  Equipment in both directions was modest - vertical dipoles and loops in Malawi, and a simple 3-ele LFA Yagi this end. 

We managed a decent 55 both ways.

What struck me as very nice about this DXpedition team is their down-to-earthiness and lack of machismo.  Unlike so many teams from the US and UK, 7QNL has gone out with modest equipment and has deployed by far the most sensible antennas - verticals.  In the shape of loops and dipoles, the verticals are both simple, cheap, lightweight and effective.  Getting a signal over an effectively all-land path to the EU from Malawi is no mean feat, highlighting the success of - and wisdom in - choosing these antennas.

So, a big thanks to 7QNL for showing that DXpeditions don't have to be mega-buck affairs, and reminding the less well-informed that horizontal HF beams are rarely a sensible, or very effective choice for such activity, particularly if you are operating from or near the seashore.