August turned out to be another busy month from the shack, with plenty of activity across the HF bands and a few particularly satisfying DX catches along the way.
By the end of the month, the log had grown by 518 QSOs, involving 457 different callsigns and contacts with stations in 78 countries. That works out at an average of 16.7 contacts per day — not bad going for a month of fairly relaxed operating!
The DX Highlights
The real highlights of the month were three new DXCC entities:
- 🇹🇩 Chad
- 🇹🇩 Franz Josef Land
- 🇳🇬 Nigeria
Chad was worked as TT1GD on FT8, while Franz Josef Land appeared as RI1FJL, also on FT8. Nigeria joined the log through 5N0YEN.
It was also a productive month for band slots, with seven new DXCC band combinations added to the log. These included some interesting catches such as New Zealand on 60m and 30m, Japan on 30m and 12m, and Peru on 40m.
There were also contacts with Costa Rica, the US Virgin Islands, San Marino, Madeira, Monaco, Thailand and the Dominican Republic among the new band opportunities.
17 Metres Takes the Crown
The most productive band during August was 17 metres, producing 100 QSOs.
The rest of the leading bands were:
- 17m: 100 QSOs
- 40m: 91 QSOs
- 15m: 91 QSOs
- 30m: 68 QSOs
- 20m: 67 QSOs
- 10m: 43 QSOs
- 60m: 30 QSOs
- 12m: 28 QSOs
It is interesting to see 17 metres sitting at the top of the pile. The band continues to be a favourite when conditions are right, offering a nice balance between European activity and the possibility of some proper DX.
The strong activity on 40m and 15m, both with 91 contacts, also shows how useful it is to keep moving around the bands rather than relying on just one.
FT8 Still Dominates
As expected, FT8 was by far the most heavily used mode, accounting for 372 QSOs during the month.
The complete mode breakdown was:
- FT8: 372 QSOs
- FT4: 114 QSOs
- SSB: 30 QSOs
- CW: 1 QSO
- RTTY: 1 QSO
Digital modes clearly made up the majority of the activity, but it was good to get some voice contacts in the log as well. FT4 also played a significant part in the month’s total.
26 New Grid Squares
Another good result from August was the addition of 26 new HF grid squares.
These included some particularly interesting locations across North America, Central America, Africa and Asia, with new grids worked through stations in Canada, Costa Rica, Japan, South Korea, Chad, South Africa and elsewhere.
Grid chasing is one of those parts of amateur radio that can quietly become addictive. Even when a country is already confirmed, there is always the possibility that the next CQ will produce another square for the map.
August at a Glance
| Statistic | August 2026 |
|---|---|
| Total QSOs | 518 |
| Unique callsigns | 457 |
| Countries worked | 78 |
| New DXCC entities | 3 |
| New DXCC band slots | 7 |
| New grid squares | 26 |
| Average QSOs per day | 16.7 |
| Most active band | 17m |
| Most used mode | FT8 |
Looking Ahead
Overall, August was a very satisfying month from the shack. 518 contacts, 78 countries, three new DXCC entities and 26 new grid squares is a good return, with activity spread nicely across the HF spectrum.
The standout achievement has to be the new countries, particularly Chad, Franz Josef Land and Nigeria, while the number of new band slots and grids shows that there is still plenty to chase.
With 17 metres leading the way and some excellent long-distance contacts appearing on bands from 60m through to 10m, the station continues to produce some interesting results.
Now the question is: what will September bring?
Will there be more new countries? More rare band slots? Or perhaps that elusive station that has been sitting on the wanted list for far too long?
As always, that’s part of the fun of amateur radio.
See you on the bands!