Amateur Radio History of DL7BC

---

March 19th, 1974
Beginning of my shortwave career, when I for the first time identified a radio station on the HF bands of my fathers' radio - Radio HCJB, the Voice of the Andes from Quito, Ecuador.
I couldn't believe to hear stations from so far, but an incoming QSL proved that indeed I was listening to a station from South America. From that day on I became a BCL.

March 1976
The first radio for SSB reception, a Sony ICF 5900 W, later replaced by a ICF 6800 W, gave me access to the ham radio world. It was fascinating (and still it is ...).

July 1978
The basis for CW was laid, when I joined the army - of course in a signal batallion. Later changed to a HF RTTY platoon.

July 1980
I become member of DARC, local club F62 Buedingen, for the time being just as SWL DE8FAC.

June 29th, 1985
I run my first QSO under my (intermediate VHF-) call DD2FM.

October 3rd, 1985
After upgrading, the first QSO under my final (HF-) call DL4ZBC was run.

March 17th, 1997
Start of my activities on the Magic Band, after getting a temporary permission to work on 50 MHz (German authorities at this time didn't open this fine band to everybody, only a limited number of permissions had been issued in a kind of lottery. Today the Magic Band is free for all licences class A, still with some restrictions however).

April 1st, 2001
After moving from my old QTH near Frankfurt to the south-western part of DL, I became member of the local DARC club AØ5 Freiburg

July 27nd, 2004
Never say "final"... Hesitating for a long time, I applied for a new, shorter and hopefully better-to-log call, which was granted to me that day: DL7BC

Equipment
Since my equipment always - compared to other stations - has been quite simple, I may not be found in too many logs. Usually I worked on the HF-bands in the beginning with a good old ATLAS 210X, later with an ICOM IC 726 (100W) and since the beginning of 2006 with an IC 746 (100W as well). For portable use - especially when operating from abroad - I added an IC 7000 in 2007. Since 2015 I own a Kenwood TS 590SG, beginning 2018 a solid state power amplifier model RF-Power HVLA1K3+ from Italy completes the equipment. During the summer season, the IC 746 serves as 6m station in the AØ5 clubhome.
Antennas, due to limited space and/or just rented flats, have been GPAs or dipoles / G5RVs for shortwave and a 4-element for 50 MHz. Now, I am using the antennas of our club station  DKØFR, or during portable operations a 3-band-Spiderbeam, a 3-Band-Quad, wire dipoles or various vertical wire antennas.
My equipment on 144 MHz from the beginning in 1985 on was the also good old 10 Watt IC 245E, mostly run barefoot or with a 40 Watt linear in contests from various places in Germany, France, Italy and Luxemburg with antennas up to 2 x 13 elements. The IC 746 allows me to operate with 100W without any additional PA.