Welcome to the WB2HTO website
Extra Class
9BWAS: 160, 80, 40, 30, 20, 17, 15, 12, 10
WAS in modes: CW, SSB, PSK31, RTTY, Hell, JT65, JT9, FT4 & FT8
281 DXCC... and counting
All <100w on homebrew dipoles & verticals
I've been a ham radio operator since 1972, when my "Elmer," Roy (WA2SLO), nursed me through the Novice exam and the Morse Code test of five words per minute. Whew! Two years later my buddy Mike (WA2DLN) and I went down to Varick Street in lower Manhattan (near where the Twin Towers once stood) and passed our General Class exams. That was just about one of the best days of my life; what a feeling of accomplishment. In 1978 (the week after I passed the test for my broadcast First Class ticket which began my dozen years in broadcasting) I went back to Varick Street and passed the Advanced Class exam. I was VERY active for the next few years but then, as the schoolyard poem goes "first came love, then came marriage, then the baby carriage."
In 2007, after being QRX for a number of years, life settled down just enough to get back into the hobby. I found that while ham radio changed in many ways (though I still love working CW with my straight key, I am having a ball with many digital modes) the basic idea hasn't; meeting people who share a passion for RF communication.
Over the years I have experimented with a number of dipoles and verticals for the HF bands. I currently operate with these two - a ten meter dipole (in green) and a home-brew hybrid dipole (for 80-10) and vertical for 160m, which has been very successful (WAS & over 85 entities) on the Gentlemen's band. Read the whole Norse Saga of its design and construction HERE.
I really enjoy chasing DX, and am pretty proud of logging almost 280 entities with my smallish station. The latest is SV1GA/A in January 2025. Here is a page of how I've done with Club Log's Most Wanted List DX List.
Most Wanted DX
The folks at ClubLog have picked up the role maintaining this list from DX Magazine. Below are the top 100 as of December, 2024 showing the 52 (in BOLD) that I managed catch with my dipole through the pile ups. I know at least one ham (K1DG) who has all 100 (yes, including ARRL-approved P5/4L4FN) plus a number of entities that no longer exist (ex: East Germany). So how many do YOU have?
1. P5 DPRK (NORTH KOREA)
2. BS7H SCARBOROUGH REEF
3. CE0X SAN FELIX ISLANDS
4. BV9P PRATAS ISLAND
5. KH7K KURE ISLAND
6. KH3 JOHNSTON ISLAND
7. 3Y/P PETER 1 ISLAND
8. FT5/X KERGUELEN ISLAND
9. YV0 AVES ISLAND
10. 3Y/B BOUVET ISLAND
11. ZS8 PRINCE EDWARD & MARION ISLANDS
12. KH4 MIDWAY ISLAND
13. VK0M MACQUARIE ISLAND
14. PY0S SAINT PETER AND PAUL ROCKS
15. KP5 DESECHEO ISLAND
16. VP0S SOUTH SANDWICH ISLANDS
17. ZL9 NEW ZEALAND SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS
18. FK/C CHESTERFIELD ISLANDS
19. VK0H HEARD ISLAND
20. FT/T TROMELIN ISLAND
21. EZ TURKMENISTAN
22. YK SYRIA
23. ZL8 KERMADEC ISLAND
24. VP0G SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND
25. XF4 REVILLAGIGEDO
26. KH1 BAKER HOWLAND ISLANDS
27. KH9 WAKE ISLAND
28. SV/A MOUNT ATHOS
29. FT5/W CROZET ISLAND
30. VK9M MELLISH REEF
31. FT/J JUAN DE NOVA, EUROPA
32. JD/M MINAMI TORISHIMA
33. FT/G GLORIOSO ISLAND
34. TI9 COCOS ISLAND
35. PY0T TRINDADE & MARTIM VAZ ISLANDS
36. HK0/M MALPELO ISLAND
37. KP1 NAVASSA ISLAND
38. VK9W WILLIS ISLAND
39. FT5Z AMSTERDAM & ST PAUL ISLANDS
40. VP8O SOUTH ORKNEY ISLANDS
41. XZ MYANMAR
42. ZK3 TOKELAU ISLANDS
43. 3C0 ANNOBON
44. KH5 PALMYRA & JARVIS ISLANDS
45. 1S SPRATLY ISLANDS
46. T5 SOMALIA
47. R1F FRANZ JOSEF LAND
48. T31 CENTRAL KIRIBATI
49. H40 TEMOTU PROVINCE
50. T33 BANABA ISLAND
51. KH8/S SWAINS ISLAND
52. E3 ERITREA
53. VU4 ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS
54. FO/C CLIPPERTON ISLAND
55. ZD9 TRISTAN DA CUNHA & GOUGH ISLANDS
56. VQ9 CHAGOS ISLANDS
57. JX JAN MAYEN
58. VP6/D DUCIE ISLAND
59. 3D2/C CONWAY REEF
60. CY0 SABLE ISLAND
61. FO/M MARQUESAS ISLANDS
62. VK9C COCOS (KEELING) ISLAND
63. 3D2/R ROTUMA
64. 9U BURUNDI
65. VU7 LAKSHADWEEP ISLANDS
66. 3B7 AGALEGA & ST BRANDON ISLANDS
67. 7O YEMEN
68. VK9L LORD HOWE ISLAND
69. VK9X CHRISTMAS ISLAND
70. CE0Z JUAN FERNANDEZ ISLANDS
71. CY9 SAINT PAUL ISLAND
72. VP6 PITCAIRN ISLAND
73. E5/N NORTH COOK ISLANDS
74. 5A LIBYA
75. FO/A AUSTRAL ISLANDS
76. Z8 REPUBLIC OF SOUTH SUDAN
77. 9L SIERRA LEONE
78. T30 WESTERN KIRIBATI
79. VP8H SOUTH SHETLAND ISLANDS
80. ZL7 CHATHAM ISLAND
81. 5U NIGER
82. 1A0 SOV MILITARY ORDER OF MALTA
83. C21 NAURU
84. S2 BANGLADESH
85. XX9 MACAO
86. V6 MICRONESIA
87. H4 SOLOMON ISLANDS
88. E4 PALESTINE
89. 4U1UN UNITED NATIONS HQ
90. HV VATICAN CITY
91. TL CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
92. TT CHAD
93. TN REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
94. KH8 AMERICAN SAMOA
95. FJ SAINT BARTHELEMY
96. D6 COMOROS
97. V7 MARSHALL ISLANDS
98. 3XA GUINEA
99. A3 TONGA
100. T2 TUVALU
