Australia on 80m band with 25W and delta loop antenna

My first contact to Australia on 80m was made tonight. Wow! (my feeling :) ) The mode was JT-65 and power 25W. The antenna was my Inverted Delta Loop for 80m.

I was very weak to VK4CMV Julian, and I had to repeat my info to him, but finally the QSO was finalized.

I have been playing with this vertical delta loop antenna on the 80m band, and I am now convinced that it is especially good in listening. I have hard time getting heard by DX stations when I work 25W (digimodes) and 100W (CW), but I have found out that I almost always hear distant stations that are spotted on the dx cluster. I have worked some U.S. stations before on the 80 meter band (mostly CW), but DX is rare stuff for me on that band.

UPDATE 28. Jan 2014: mail conversation with VK4CMV Julian:

Quoting a mail conversation with VK4CMV after permission from him:

Nice blog page Sauli - great to work you on 80m.
JT65a has opened up the possibility of QSOs on 80m and 160m which were previously very difficult.
73 Julian

PS: Have a look at what I was copying on 18th December (attached) - this should encourage people to try 80m JT65a!!

Julian continues:

Sauli - just in case people think they need a high quality rig like the K3 for JT65a - take a look at this video comparison I did between the K3 and Ft450d ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgIaAz94oVo