David Pommerenke, DL7ZM, announced the next phase of his operation from Turkmenistan with the callsign EZ/DL7ZM at DX-World on June 5, 2026. This is his fourth activation from this country after previous years in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Turkmenistan is one of the rarest DXCC entities – amateur radio has been banned in the country since 2006 and David approaches his operation not as a DX expedition, but as a study of radio wave propagation in cooperation with Oguz Han University in Ashgabat.
"Please be kind, I AM not an experienced DX expedition OM, this is a propagation study using amateur radio frequencies." – David, DL7ZM
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Operation plan in June 2026 EZ/DL7ZM
David plans to be active mainly on the 6m band on June 7, 8, 9, 13 and 14, 2026, and possibly in between. On the shortwave bands, he expects to be active around 8:00 local time in Ashgabat. FT8 will not be used - operation will be exclusively in CW and SSB modes. Output power is 100 W.
Frequencies and modes
| Band | CW frequency | SSB frequency | Antenna |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 m | 14.020 MHz ±5 kHz | 14.200 MHz ±5 kHz | Vertical antenna or dipole |
| 15 m | 21.020 MHz ±5 kHz | 21.200 MHz ±5 kHz | Vertical antenna or dipole |
| 10 meters | 28.020 MHz ±5 kHz | 28.550 MHz ±5 kHz | Vertical antenna or dipole |
| 6 m | 50.110 MHz ±5 kHz (CW and SSB) | 50.110 MHz ±5 kHz (CW and SSB) | 3-element yagi |
David prevádzkuje stanicu často na batériové napájanie a nemusí vždy volať CQ – its signal may appear without prior notice. Therefore, it is advisable to monitor the records Reverse beacon Network. Ak počujete EZ/DL7ZM, prosím umiestnite spot on DXMAPS – David cannot access most websites in Turkmenistan.
Activation background and DXCC status
The EZ/DL7ZM activation is not a classic DX expedition organized to maximize the number of QSOs. David's primary purpose is to research radio wave propagation and educate students in the field of antennas and propagation in cooperation with Oguz Han University. In 2025, he made about 450 QSOs, and the operation was carried out partly from a mountain location (grid LM88) and partly directly from Ashgabat. The question of recognition of these activations by the ARRL DXCC desk remains open - according to the community comments on DX-World, David had a full license with a call sign in 2025, which significantly strengthens the arguments for recognition.
QSL card EZ/DL7ZM
QSL karty pre EZ/DL7ZM sa zasielajú klasickou poštou na adresu uvedenú na QRZ.com/db/DL7ZM. David nepoužíva Club Log ani OQRS.