Conditions were so bad yesterday I got skunked looking for POTA activators. First time that has happened to me. I saw where stations were being spotted, I looked for them, but heard nothing. After an hour or so I had copied two of the activators very lightly, but they never heard me. Skunked.

This morning things were a little more normal and I managed to work stations in Japan, South Africa, Luxembourg, Northern Ireland, England, and Ireland on 20 and 17 meters using FT8.

I was about to pull the plug when ZA/IW2JOP scrolled down the screen. It took four or five calls and then Albania was in the log. An all time new one for me and the best part, Dimitri confirmed our contact via LoTW within minutes!

Albania, on Southeastern Europe’s Balkan Peninsula, is a small country with Adriatic and Ionian coastlines and an interior crossed by the Albanian Alps. The country has many castles and archaeological sites. Capital Tirana centers on sprawling Skanderbeg Square, site of the National History Museum, with exhibits spanning antiquity to post-communism, and frescoed Et’hem Bey Mosque. – Google

That’s seven ATNOs in August. Not bad for the dog days of summer with the meat of the DX contest season still ahead. My gratitude to those DXers who have worked me and confirmed our contact via LoTW.