DL1QQ Alexandra Raeker
Team: Central Europe 5 (Team Leader)
Country: Germany
Age: 38
Occupation: Police Officer, Detective Chief Inspector
DL1QQ Alexandra “Sandy” Raeker
I was first licensed at the age of 15. My history teacher at high school (DK2JX) got me interested into this great hobby. My parents accepted the wires in our backyard because their daughter (me) stayed at home and stayed on the radio. From the beginning I fell intensely in love with contesting. SSB is my preferred mode, but I also like CW. I attracted my younger brother Adrian into Amateur Radio as well, he is now DL4QQ.
As a senior in high school I was a foreign exchange student in Minneapolis, MN, where I got my US Extra Class license (now N0QQ). I joined the ARRL VE program, and back home in Germany I held several FCC test sessions. I have operated Single-op and Multi-op from many big contest stations like DR1A, DL0CS, T70A, 4U1VIC, S59ABC, W0AIH, ED6A, etc.
As the president of my local radio club I am in charge of organizing Field Day events, where we expose other hams to getting on the air. Unfortunately, I am not able to have my own radio setup at my apartment, but I can use a jointly owned location in Ottenstein where I operate many of my single operator events. Since 2012 I also hold the contest call DR8A.
It was very tough to qualify in the highly competitive EU2 section. I am happy to be able to take part in WRTC2014 and operate together with my team mate Irina, DL8DYL, who is an outstanding CW contest operator. As the first qualified YL team I am sure we will have lots of fun and have a great experience. The opportunity to meet other top contesters from all around the world is an experience that will last the rest of my life.