#60m band DX in 2020

  DX, is that possible in years with minimum sunspots? Yes it is and I discovered the 60m band is excellent for DX years ago. You might call me a 60m addict the last couple of years. Every year I think that it is going to be difficult to work new ones. In 2019 only I worked 58 new band DXCC, it was a big surprise. 

 I though 2020 would not be a good year especially with covid-19 arriving and causing all kind of problems for future DXpeditions. New ones on 60m also means more exotic stations to work since the "easy" DX has already been worked. But the year started already with some rare new ones like ZC4UW (Cyprus SBA), XV1X (Vietnam), JT1BV (Mongolia), TU5PCT (Ivory coast) with on top VP8PJ from the South Orkneys (close to Antarctica). 

  Last year I failed contacting 6W7/ON4AVT (Senegal) but this year I succeed. Well, I managed to work 35 new band DXCC this year and 4 ATNO (All Time New One) on 60m only. It is a large number which I will not name all by call and DXCC. As a matter of fact, besides the 35 new ones, I worked what I could and till my surprise I discovered I worked 100 DXCC on 60m only in 2020. Not at all a bad DX year. 

I really look forward to 60m band DX in 2021. I still have some stations on my list I want to work and I know they are active on 60m. Listing: AP2AM (Pakistan), ZD8SC (Ascension Isl.), AH7C (Hawaii), TT8SN (Chad), A71AE (Quatar), 4L1FL (Georgia), 3B8FV (Mauritius), TZ1CE (Mali), FY5HB (French Guyana), KH2L (Guam). 

ZD8SC is already in my worked list but I didn't get it confirmed, e-mailing didn't give much more answer as "I will check the log". Not that it is really important...I don't have to prove I worked something since I don't want certificates at all. It's just something for fun I do for myself and share with some people here on my blog and on the 60m facebook page.

2020 60m contacts. Click for a larger picture.

  I spend most of my radio time on 60m in 2020. Time well spend I think. I really don't know if I will spend that much time on 60m next year. So far I still see a challenge and possebilities to work those exotic DXCCs. The top DXers on 60m already went over 200 DXCC. So far I worked 167 DXCC on 60m, still a incredible number I think. I didn't think this was possible in low sunspot years and certainly I didn't dream about this when the 60m became legal in the Netherlands in 2015. I remember the first year the 60m band was almost empty, only a few countries allowed to be on 60m in Europe. I remember there were some evenings that your didn't see any signal on 5357. Working DX with 2,5W QRP on JT65A was no problem and at that time I believed 60m was the ultimate QRP band. How different is it now...

60m this evening. Average...imagine when a rare DXCC shows up.

  You probabely noticed I do post about new worked 60m DXCC on my blog lately. I really think it deserves a place at my blog. Working new DXCC after number 167 is rare I think, every new one is exotic now and a accomplishment. How many will I work in 2021? I really don't know, 2020 surprised me again.....will 2021 do the same? We will know at the end of next year...enjoy!