Completed all Maine Counties with NU1D in Somerset County, ME

A big THANK YOU to Seth (NU1D) in Somerset County, Maine. Seth is an outstanding radio amateur and helped me with a 20m FT8 contact to complete contacts with all 16 Maine Counties. We tried 40m phone and could faintly hear each other though not well enough to make the contact. 20m opened up and we were able to make the contact easily on FT8.

Maine State Flag

NJ2X completed contacts with each of the 16 Maine Counties

This coast-to-coast contact brings my total number of confirmed Us County contacts on QRZ.com to 2,159 counties (69% of the total 3,143 US Counties).

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Connecting the RCForb Client to HRD

I recently upgraded Ham Radio Deluxe to the new V6.9. I have been enjoying playing with the new and improved HRD. I thought a good test would be to configure HRD 6.9 with the Remote Hams RCForb client so that HRD can control remote stations. RCForb is a free Windows-based software that enables remote control of amateur radio stations via the RemoteHams.com platform. Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) is a comprehensive software suite for amateur radio operators, offering rig control, digital mode operation, logging, satellite tracking, and rotor control — all in one package.

HRD can be configured to remotely control stations that are on the RemoteHams.com platform. This is the ultimate way to play radio with remote stations and worth the effort to configure if you are a HRD user. Fortunately, the configuration process was fairly straightforward. I documented the steps in case it would be helpful or of interest to other radio amateurs.

RCForb Client in action

How to connect HRD 6.9 to work with the Remote Hams RCForb Client

0. Launch RCForb and connect to a remote station. Choose a station that will allow you to connect and at least listen. The make and model of the remote radio does not matter.

1. Configure RCForb Virtual K3. Set the COM port to a port that is not being used (e.g., COM99). This setting can be found under the Virtual Devices menu. RCForb uses the Virtual K3 setting for radio control purposes regardless of the make or model of the remote radio.

2. Configure RCForb Virtual HRD. Use the default CFG 7809. This setting can be found under the Virtual Devices menu.

3. Close RCForb and restart the application. This is necessary for the COM port setting to become visible to HRD.

4. Start HRD. If HRD is already running, close and restart it. This is necessary for HRD to recognize COM99.

5. Open HRD Rig Control.

6. Click New in HRD Rig Control.

7. Settings:

• Company = Elecraft
• Radio = K3
• COM Port = COM99
• Speed = 38400 (default)
• Auto Start
• HRD Digital Master = checked
• HRD Logbook = checked

8. Click Connect. This will connect HRD to the remote RCForb station and enable control from within HRD. Viola!

9. Test the configuration by attempting to change the remote station tuning from within HRD Rig Control.

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Upgrading HRD from v6.80.372 to v6.9.0.17086

I was excited to read the recent announcements about the newly released enhanced Ham Radio Deluxe (HRD) v6.9. I am particularly grateful to the HRD team for replacing the database since the legacy MS-Access database had been a source of occasional trouble and performance issues.

The folks at HRD made the upgrade super easy. The only challenge encountered was with Windows blocking HRD Wizard.

HRD Upgrade Steps

1. Download HRD software v6.9.0.17086 (27-Oct. 2025)

2. Run the downloaded HRD software

3. Run the HRD Setup Wizard

4. Read and accept the license agreement

5. Select the destination location

6. Prepare to Install - close the old version of HRD which was running

7. Complete the HRD Setup Wizard 

8. Convert the old MS-Access based HRD logbook

9. Allow HRD Wizard process folder access after it was blocked by Windows protection blocked folder access.

10. Run the logbook migration

11. Finish the Migration Wizard

12. Run HRD and verify the logbook was converted

I am looking forward to diving into HRD and exploring the new features. 

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Digital QSL card from Carlos, EA1TE for a 3/7/2009 20m PSK31 contact.

Thank you, Carlos, EA1TE, for the digital QSL card for our 3/7/2009 20m PSK31 contact.

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Digital QSL card from Michael, VE7AT for a 11/2/2020 FT8 contact

Thank you, Michael, VE7AT, for the digital QSL card for our 11/2/2020 20m FT8 contact.

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Digital QSL card from John, VE7PEY for 4/1/2021 80m FT8 contact

Thank you, John, VE7PEY, for the digital QSL card for our 4/1/2021 80m FT8 contact.

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Digital QSL card from Dale, KJ7RGW 12/28/2021 80m FT8 contact

Thank you, Dale, KJ7RGW, for the digital QSL card for our 80m FT8 contact.

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Digital QSL Card from YV1GIY for a July 17, 2022 30m FT8 contact

Thank you, Carlos (YV1GIY) for the digital QSL card for our July 17, 2022 30m FT8 contact.

YV1GIY Digital QSL Card

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Digital QSL Card from BV7RR for a May 22, 2022 20m FT8 contact

Thank you Fingsen (BV7RR), for our 20m FT8 contact on May 22, 2022 and your digital QSL card.

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Tuvalu (T2C) contacts confirmed on LoTW from October 2023

I was delighted to see five of my contacts with Tuvalu (T2C) confirmed this morning on the Logbook of the World (LoTW).  The contacts covered a distance of 8,011 km (4,978 miles). These five DX contacts were made in October of 2023.  I now have Tuvalu confirmed on 10M, 15M, 17M, 20M, and 30M.  These move me closer to earning the DXCC Challenge award by bringing my total to 860 confirmed contacts.

Flag of Tuvalu

Tuvalu (formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean, between Hawaii and Australia. It lies east-northeast of the Santa Cruz Islands, northeast of Vanuatu, southeast of Nauru, south of Kiribati, west of Tokelau, northwest of Samoa and Wallis and Futuna, and north of Fiji.

Tuvalu is composed of three reef islands and six atolls.  Tuvalu had a population of 10,645 in 2017, making it the second-least populous country in the world, behind Vatican City. Its total land area is 26 square kilometers (10 sq mi).

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Completed 12m ARRL DXCC Award

A big THANK YOU to Bobby (VP8WA) in the Falkland Islands for being my 100th DXCC contact confirmed on LoTW on 12 meters.  

Flag of the Falkland Islands

The Falkland Islands is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf with 3,662 inhabitants in 2021. At the time of this writing, a QRZ.com query returned a total of 225 call signs issued by the Falkland Islands.  The number of active hams will be less than this figure.  

The principal islands are about 300 mi (480 km) east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about 752 mi (1,210 km) from Cape Dubouzet at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, at a latitude of about 52°S. The archipelago, with an area of 4,700 sq mi (12,000 km2), comprises East Falkland, West Falkland, and 776 smaller islands. As a British overseas territory, the Falklands have internal self-governance, but the United Kingdom takes responsibility for defense and foreign affairs.

I am delighted to have earned the ARRL 12 meters DXCC award. It took many years to earn this award.  All contacts were made with 100 watts or less and using simple wire antennas.

As I write this, I have now completed DXCC on 10 Meters, 12 Meters, 15 Meters, 17 Meters, 20 Meters, 30 Meters, and 40 Meters. At this moment, I will be working on achieving DXCC on just one more band.

• 6 Meters - No gain antenna
• 80 Meters - 48 qualifying contact confirmed on LoTW
• 160 Meters - No antenna

I am also pursuing the DXCC Challenge Award which requires confirming at least 1,000 DXCC band-points on any Amateur bands, 160 through 6 meters (except 60 meters). I presently have 850 contacts confirmed on LoTW toward the DXCC Challenge Award.

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Digital QSL Card from KH2GM for a February 10, 2024 12m FT8 contact

Thank you Jesus (KH2GM), for our 12m FT8 contact on February 2, 2024 and your digital QSL card.  The photo is most impressive.

Good DX and 73, NJ2X

Digital QSL card from N4NQ February 10, 2024 12m FT8 contact

Thank you, Sid (N4NQ), for the wonderful digital QSL card for our February 10, 2024 12m FT8 contact.  I really love the Georgia Queen river boat in the photo.  I look forward to our next contact further on down the log.

N4NQ Digital QSL Card

Good DX and 73, NJ2X