One February evening in 2008, around 2200 UTC, I was just casually flipping through the 40m CW segment. The conditions were pretty typical for that time of year, with some moderate QRN levels. As I was slowly tuning the VFO, I suddenly heard a clear, steady CQ signal that caught my attention.
I quickly figured out it was J28OO, operated by Darko in Djibouti. Djibouti isn't the rarest entity out there, but it's not one I come across often. So, I saw this as a chance and decided to give it a shot.
To my surprise and delight, Darko responded to my first call. We exchanged the usual info - signal reports, names, locations. His signal was a strong 599, and he said mine was the same. Our chat was short but sweet, lasting about 5 minutes.
Darko's keying was spot-on and relaxed, which made it easy to understand. We didn't have a long conversation, but the contact was still satisfying. It was a good reminder that sometimes, just casually tuning around can lead to cool stuff.
After our chat, I made sure to ask for a QSL card through his QSL manager. Eventually, I got Darko's card, which now has a special spot in my collection. It's a nice little memento of this unexpected QSO.
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