Biography

Hello Dr friend!

Thanks a lot fer our latest contact and ur interest abt my station. As you know, if u saw my info included at the top, my name is Raul and my call CO8ZZ, formerly CL8ZZ when I rcved my very first HAM License in 1993 as a novice station. After that, in 1994 I have got the second class license as CM8ZZ and finally, CO8ZZ in 1995 which is my current callsign as first class HAM station in my country. I prefer DX, contest and CW into HAM World. My very first contest was 1994 CW WPX when I made abt 190 QSOs on 40 meters, low power, I finished with a big pain in my fist cause I used a vertical key!…HI… however it was great!… I never stop till the present times, holding several Cuban records in CQWW’s and ARRL’s which are my preferred contests. My best results are:

1999’s CQWWDX CW 9th place World SOSB 28 LP,
2000’s ARRL CW 2nd place World SOSB 3.5,
2000’s ARRL SSB 2nd place World SOSB 3.7 (Continental leader),
2000’s CQWWDX SSB 10th place World SOSB 14 LP,
2000’s CQWWDX CW 2nd place World SOSB 7 LP,
2001’s ARRL SSB 1st place World SOSB 3.7 (Continental leader),
2001’s CQWWDX CW 8th place World SO LP,
2002’s ARRL 10 2nd place World CW LP,
2002’s ARRL RTTYRU 8th place World,
2003’s ARRL RTTYRU 3rd place World,
2003’s ARRL 10 2nd place World CW LP (Continental leader),
2003's ARRL SSB 3rd place world SOSB 3.7,
2004’s ARRL SSB 9th place World SOSB 15 (Continental leader),
2004's CQWW WPX SSB 8th place world SOSB 15 High Power
2009's ARRL CW 6th place world SOSB 3.5,
2009's ARRL 10 9th place world CW only low power (Continental Leader),
2009's CQWWDX SSB 5th place world SOSB 40 low power,
2011's CQWWDX SSB 1st place world SOSB 40 low power,
2011's CQWWDX CW 1st place world 3.5 low power,
2012's ARRL CW 2nd place world SOSB 3.5.
2012's CQWWDX SSB 8th place world SOSB 7 high power
2013's ARRL SSB 4th place world SOSB 7 (Continental Leader)

I was operator in the following stations:

CO8RCT 1991-1993 (Club Station, CO0RCT 1996 WPX CW (MS), T48RCT 1997 (Before/after-T49C CQWW CW Operation), T49C 1997 CQWW CW (MM), CO9KAA 2000 and 2013 (Club Station), T48K All operations, T48RRC Cayo Moa Grande NA218 2013, T48LT 2013, HK1NA CQWW CW 2013, HK1/CO8ZZ 2013, HK1NA CQWW CW 2014, HK1/CO8ZZ 2014.
.

I’m one of the founders of “Las Tunas Contest Crew” (together with CO8DM and CO8JY), unofficial name we gave to our Radioclub’s (CO9KAA) contest group, we always use the special call T48K in all our operations since 2001 when participated for the very first time in ARRL CW as Multi-single entry getting the 6th place world. We joined some operations together foreigner stations: CQWW SSB 2004, together with David/OK1DTP and his father Jiri/OK1TD and with Hugo/F5FYO in WPX SSB 2013. I really started my active life on DX since 1998, when have got my very first multiband radio (Kenwood TS-130s), all my previous activity was only on 40 meters (my favorite band) and just few contacts on other bands from time to time, using my club station and friend’s. Since 1999 my QSL manager and friend is Erhard/DK1WI, an extremely serious QSL manager (only for me, my wife and T48K’s operations…HI!!) my former one was AD4Z/HI3K. I have actually, 294 DXCC’s confirmed entities despite of I have over 305 worked. My wallpaper collection include: DXCC, WAC, WAS, WAZ, WAE,IOTA, Holyland Award, Cuba, America, Caribe, GDXC, Tabarca, DLD 100 on 10, 12, 20 and 40 meters, etc. I’m member of Federación de Radioaficionados de Cuba, Grupo DX de Cuba, Tabarca Island DX Group, Croatian Telegraphy Club, Manchester Mineira CW Club and Russian Robinson Club. My work conditions on HF are Kenwood TS-130s, power amplifier Collins 30L-1 running into wire antennas (Half square on 40 meters, sloper dipole on 80 and 20 m). Yaesu FT-23 on 2 meters local repeater (145.130 -600). I was born in Las Tunas on December 4th 1969, the same town where actually I’m living. Married since 1997 with Delmita/CO8DRG, we have two boys: Ian (was born in 2001) and Xavier (was born in 2003), future hams too… seems to us!…HI… My current job is TV photographer in our local TV station “Tunasvisión” (http://www.visiontunera.icrt.cu/index.php/inicio) besides, I’m graduated from Physics culture and sports master degree. Actually I’m active in the following modes: CW, SSB and RTTY mainly during contest. If u have the chance to visit Cuba and Las Tunas, I’ll really like to have a meeting as I made with several HAMs from another countries during all these years. My telephone number is 34-8410 and my QTH is really easy to find just one block from Central Park in Las Tunas downtown, u can contact me by my email co8zz@qsl.net or co8zz@frcuba.co.cu Thanks very much once agn fer our last QSO and hope to do it many more times in the future.

73s DX!

Raúl/CO8ZZ

Equipment

Radios:
ICOM IC 756-PROIII
Kenwood TS130s
FTL 2011 and FT23r in VHF
PA Collins 30L-1
SCS PTCI for RTTY

Antennas:
2 elements yagi on 10 meters
Delta Loop on 15 meters
Sloper Dipole on 20 meters
Vertical Loop on 40 meters
Sloper Dipole on 80 meters