Licensed ham — the long arc
The same story is available in German — CW and contests are international anyway.
Welcome to my profile. I am Alex (DC1AS), 56 years old, and I have returned to the passion that completely captured me when I was a teenager.
The first spark (1981)
At 13, I got a Grundig Yacht Boy 450 for Christmas. Reception in our apartment building was poor, so I improvised: I unwound copper wire from an old transformer, stretched about 30 meters to the nearest tree, and clipped the wire to the telescopic whip. When the first SWL QSL cards from all over the world arrived, I knew this was my thing.
Training and license (1985)
In the DARC local club H21 (Salzgitter-Bad), I was strongly shaped as a young operator. My thanks go to DF5AA and the then club chairman DF6OR. In late 1985, at age 17, I received my class C license with the callsign DC1AS; I also passed the technical exam for class B. That wording is purely the teenage paperwork before my long hiatus — today, after returning to HF, I hold Germany’s highest national amateur-service tier again (class 1 credential under current AFuV rules; identical note in my short profile below).
Professional roots
Professionally, I trained as a telecommunications technician at Deutsche Bundespost. There I worked within clear physical limits: voice transmission around 3600 Hz on 0.6 mm and 0.8 mm copper lines. These roots still shape my technical mindset today.
Digital beginnings and a long break
In 1986, I was among early Packet Radio users in the Salzgitter/Braunschweig area, in the TNC-2 era. From 1990 on, real life took over: career, family, and a name change. Result: 35 years QRT.
Restart in 2026
The kids have moved out, and the hunger for physics is back. Today I operate from Bredstedt near Husum (OV M04) with a setup that pays tribute to my beginnings: copper wire between two trees on a large property plus a modern ICOM 7300MK2.
I am very happy about this comeback and many new contacts. 73, Alex (DC1AS)
Quick profile
Callsign: DC1AS
QTH: Bredstedt near Husum
Local chapter (OV): M04
Transceiver: ICOM IC-7300MK2
Antenna: Long wire between two trees
Shack priorities: DX, tinkering across HF/VHF, learning modes, messing with antennas for fun.
Licence (today): German amateur service “class 1” / full-privilege credential under national rules — examinations, HF lab, paperwork for CEPT travel when crossing borders legitimately.
Whether you came from the log or the stats page: I built both myself in plain PHP from Club Log / ADI exports, map with Leaflet, layout and copy without a CMS — just my own story behind the QSOs.
Professional
Alexander Schweigert | Bandel Automobiltechnik | CMO
Google Ads Ninja, online marketing and eBay marketing.
+++ New: Bandel advertising TV spots +++
Bandel online store (~€100 million annual revenue)
https://bandel-online.de/
Bandel eBay store (~€95 million annual revenue)
http://www.ebay.de/usr/bandel-autoteile
Awards & rankings
- Germany: #1 individual eBay account (sales)
- Worldwide: #1 individual eBay account (sales)
- Worldwide: #1 individual eBay account (marketing)
- Germany: #1 individual eBay account (sales)
- Worldwide top 15 eBay units sold
Source: Wolk, eBay
Contact
You can reach me by phone daily until 11 p.m. CET:
+49 172 5218944
Email: alexschweigert@gmail.com
Social
LinkedIn:
alexander-schweigert-562801b
Facebook:
alex.schweigert
Twitter/X:
@alexschweigert