PD/DA6IT

Radio just across the border.

The Netherlands are only a few minutes away from home. Because the border is so close, radio activity there does not have to be limited to a rare holiday: a day out or a spontaneous portable session can easily become an opportunity to use PD/DA6IT.

I am there regularly anyway, so taking the radio along is often an easy decision.

Portable amateur radio station beside a Dutch canal with windmill and bicycle.

Amateur radio setup at a small Dutch weekend house beside a canal and windmill.

The Netherlands

Why I am there so often.

Living on the Lower Rhine means that the border is simply part of everyday life. A short drive is enough to be in the Netherlands, whether for a trip, shopping, a day out or simply because we enjoy spending time there.

We would also like to find a small weekend place in the Netherlands one day – somewhere we can regularly spend a few days away. For me that would naturally also create plenty of opportunities to combine time there with amateur radio.

20m · 40m

HF becomes especially interesting there.

One thing I particularly like about operating from the Netherlands is that 20 and 40 metres become part of my operating possibilities there under the conditions that apply to my licence.

Especially for portable operation those two bands open up completely different possibilities than I have from home, which is exactly what makes PD/DA6IT attractive to me.

HF amateur radio station with spectrum displays and Dutch windmills in the background.

Portable radio station in a green Dutch park beside water and a windmill.

POTA · NL

Parks are a very good excuse to take the radio.

The Netherlands offer plenty of interesting places for portable activity. Parks, water and the typically open landscape make it easy to combine a day out with a POTA activation.

For me that is exactly the right mixture: no huge expedition, just a nice place, a compact station and some time to make contacts.

Portable setup

PD/DA6IT stays compact as well.

The Yaesu FTX-1 is currently my portable radio here as well. Together with a portable antenna and a manageable power supply it is enough for spontaneous operation without turning the car into a mobile shack. For FT8 I can connect a tablet or smartphone directly to the FTX-1 via USB-C and get started without a large computer setup.

What changes is mainly the place and the callsign – the idea remains the same: arrive, set up without too much effort and get on the air.

Compact portable radio kit with tablet, smartphone, battery and transceiver.

Logbook

My contacts as PD/DA6IT.

Here you can find the contacts I have logged during my radio activities in the Netherlands as PD/DA6IT. Maybe we have already met on the bands there.

Would you like a QSL card for one of our contacts? You can send the request through my central OQRS page.

Go to OQRS →