The 9T0MD team with the Mediterraneo DX Club, expedition and RF.Guru banners. Photo supplied by Antonio, I8KHC, on behalf of the team.
The people behind 90,623 contacts
A team photo from the Democratic Republic of the Congo brings a conversation that started in May full circle. We are pleased to have supported 9T0MD—and the people who kept it on the air.
Antonio, I8KHC, recently sent us the photograph above: the 9T0MD team beside their antennas, wearing RF.Guru shirts and holding our banner alongside the expedition and club flags. Seeing the people behind a callsign is a welcome reminder of how much work happens before a contact appears in someone’s log.
The Mediterraneo DX Club’s 9T0MD expedition operated from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its published log now records 90,623 contacts with 22,532 distinct callsigns. That is a substantial result from a station the team had to transport, assemble, operate, repair and eventually pack away again.
Figures from the expedition’s officially linked QSO Hunter log and statistics, checked on 4 November 2026. QSOs are individual contacts; a callsign can appear on several bands or modes. DXCC entities are the territories recognised by the DXCC award programme.
A question about a meter started the conversation
Back in May, Antonio contacted us about taking our RF Current Meter, now named CurrentScout, on the expedition. The discussion soon widened to the station’s antenna arrangements, baluns, mounting hardware and support for the team.
That is the kind of conversation we enjoy: operators planning a real station and thinking about the practical details before departure. A portable, passive instrument that needs no battery has an obvious place in that discussion. The story follows naturally from our earlier update about moving the meter from pre-orders to real benches.
Supporting the people who make the contacts possible
RF.Guru is listed among the expedition’s company sponsors. The team shirts and banner in the photo are the visible part of that relationship. The reason for getting involved is simple: we want to help people build stations, get on the air and share what they learn.
A busy log across several modes
The published mode breakdown shows how the team reached different parts of the amateur-radio community. CW and SSB together account for 42,441 contacts, alongside a substantial digital-mode operation.
| Mode | Contacts |
|---|---|
| FT8 | 44,065 |
| CW | 26,590 |
| SSB | 15,851 |
| MFSK | 3,992 |
| JT65 | 125 |
| Total | 90,623 |
Source: 9T0MD QSO Hunter statistics. Mode names are retained as reported by the log.
Keeping a station running takes more than antennas
The team’s closing report explains that its 100,000-contact target was not reached. Electrical faults, connectivity problems and repeated blackouts interrupted the operation. The opening days required extensive troubleshooting.
Meanwhile, the antenna work continued. An update on 5 October describes installing low-band receiving wires for Europe, Japan and North America while dealing with unstable power. That is a familiar part of building a temporary station: receiving, power, cabling and repairs all compete for the same limited time.
Even during dismantling on 11 October, the team reported keeping two antennas in use, covering 80 metres and 30/60 metres, to make a few more contacts before departure.
They reached the Moon, too
On 7 October, the team reported more than 100 Earth–Moon–Earth contacts, with Emil, DL8JJ, operating the EME station. EME means sending a signal towards the Moon and receiving its reflected signal back on Earth—a demanding addition to an already busy expedition.
The official roster reflects that range of skills: operating, equipment preparation, digital systems, satellite and Moon-bounce activity, and local support. A result like this depends on the whole team.
Thank you, 9T0MD
Thank you to Antonio and everyone involved for the photo, the updates and the work behind those contacts. Congratulations on bringing 9T0MD to so many stations around the world—and thank you for taking RF.Guru along.
If you worked them, the expedition website has the log, QSL information and their own account of the trip.