Have a question about DX'ing? No matter what it is, Dr. DX has the answer! In an effort to help new DX’ers unravel the mysteries related to DX’ing, the Southern California DX Club has initiated a program called, “Dr. DX” in which anyone interested in DX and DX’ing can email questions and will receive a personalized reply. “Dr. DX” is actually a team of experienced DX’ers who will answer questions about operating technique, antennas, propagation, equipment, awards, logging programs, QSL’ing and anything else related to DX and DX’ing! Have a question? Send an email to DrDX@SCDXC.ORG and a Dr. DX team member will get back to you with the right answer!
Here's the response--the "right answer"-- I got to my reasonable and sincerely posed question(above), of interest to one and all interested in DX'ing. Tell you what Dr. DX-- Show us your doctoral degree and then you can feel OK about flipping off a sincere question. I was about to book Visalia. But this made me say...'NAH!' ----------------------------------- Thank you for your question to Dr. DX. This service was started by the Southern California DX Club to help hams who are not (yet) DX’ers enter this exciting side of amateur radio. The program is not designed to serve existing DX’ers nor was it designed to answer questions outside the specific needs of beginning DX’ers. We hope you are able to find the answer to your question(s) elsewhere. 73, Dr. DX
..and here is my response to "Dr. DX": ------------------------------------------------ Thanks Dr. DX. You really set a great example here. Here's why this question (see the original query in the top of the thread) is important to 'beginning DX'ers'. All DXers ultimately strive or fantasize about Honor Roll and Top Honor Roll for DXCC. The countries I list have not been on for many years...9 for Ducie, I believe 15 or more for the two others. From a beginning DXer, the question I get asked most is: "Gee, how long will it take to get to top DXCC? Maybe this is something out of my reach." So how to answer that question? You can't answer it accurately without answering the original question about Scarborough, Pratas, and Ducie. If you are going to flip off this question then you are missing a basic that beginning DXers frequently ask. Right now I would say we are NOT going to see all DXCC countries OTA in at least 30 years , most likely never. Hear that: it looks like NEVER. BTW a few of your 'seasoned' members can beat the below... but not many. I doubt more than a handful also have a doctoral degree. The Venn diagram for both is probably very sparse indeed : #1 Honor Roll 355 mixed 9B DXCC (almost at 10B DXCC) 73, Chip W1YW (with a real Ph.D.)
Scarborough needs to GO!!! same with North Korea, Palestine and MT ATHOS!! THen I will be at the #1 Honor Roll!!! if MINAMI TORI SHIMA was deleted, then why is Scarborogh still active? Last report from Filipino fisherman is all the rocks are underwater!! Palestine should be part of Israel!!! Mt ATHOS should be part of Greece!! Who knows why they ever let it be a Separate country! And North Korea? Amateur Radio is Illegal there!!!
Here's the correct copy you should have used Dr. DX-- lead with friendly. No need to be *. --------------------------------------- Hi Chip, Greetings from CA and thanks for your question. Your guess is as good as ours on these three. We haven't heard anything brewing on these. Here's hoping! We really want to reach out to help new DXers, so if you can think of some questions that relate directly to that, please pass them on. Hope to hear you in the pileups and 'DX Is'! 73 Dr. DX
Hi Pat, Glad to see you are about and perky Apparently my question had some relevance to others 73 Chip W1YW
Guess I am notta beginner. DXing has been my whole life! I LIVE for DX!!! Even at an early age, back on 2 Meter AM, I got great excitement with TROPO opennings and worked 8 states out of the Chicago area. Then it was on to 6 meters and the fun of Sporadic Es!!! That was exciting DX!! Finally I passed my General/Advanced and got on HF and worked worldwide DX!!! DX IS HAM RADIO!!! Phooey on all this repeater stuff!
Well... Here's the view from where I sit: DX'ing has always been the primary attraction of ham radio for me. I have always enjoyed it and probably always will. However, the competitive paper chasing is not for me. I did not even apply for any of the ARRL awards until they finally (!) automated the process. DXCC Honor roll? Meh... When I meet another ham and we begin to talk, it is of no interest to me how many countries, states, zones, Maidenhead squares, or whatever he has worked. Furthermore, no ham that I have ever talked to made it a point to mention awards that he/she had been given either. So that's right out. Maybe if someone asked him or her the subject would then become a conversational point. Yeah, the talk around the club sometimes centers on DX. Most of us enjoy the chase. We have, as a group, mentored quite a few budding DX hounds. This has been done during Field Day or contest operating at the clubhouse. (W7dk.org). We also just put them in front of the radio sometime with a control operator and have them work DX. Most of the time they get the bug too. If they don't then, they usually find something else in this great hobby to satisfy their needs. If someone like the SO Cal DX club goes out on a limb and set themselves up as an "expert" in any field, there are sure to be folks ready to cast stones. Personally, I doubt that they can do as they said they can, but it's not my place to shoot them down either. Give them a chance. It will be shown soon enough whether they have the right stuff. I would hope that beginner Dx'ers will be able to sort them out soon enough. I know that my qualifications are sufficient for me, but may not meet the demanding qualifications asked by some, but just for the record: Been a ham 30 years. 29.5 of those years as an Extra class Been a member of Radio Club of Tacoma all of that time. Served as President for six of those years and many terms on the Board of Directors. Also wrote the club newsletter for six or seven of those years along with many other committee duties of various types. Have DXCC with 290 confirmed mixed and over a hundred DXCC entities worked on all three modes (SSB, CW, RTTY) WAS also 50 Mixed also 50 each on CW SSB and RTTY. Looking for the Final Triple Play returns. Also trying to fill the Challenge award. These I do only for myself; no one else would care. I doubt that I will ever qualify for honor roll. Especially since its not a motivator for me. That's for the competitive types, which I am not. I do ham radio for the fun of it, not to kick someone else's butt... Currently still working on five band DXCC and WAS. Those are just the documented points. I have helped many budding DX'ers, Contesters (Quiet, Burt!) and helped many hams get licensed both as instructor and as a club officer. These achievements are part and parcel of the ham radio experience in my view. As a ham, I do not really care about your DXCC achievements, your education level, how much money you make, how pretty your wife is, or how smart your kids are. All I can find it interesting to do is to relate to you as another ham, a person who, by definition, cares about radio for it's own sake, not as an ego booster. This petty one-upmanship needs to stop. We are all hams here, and to quote another non-ham, but famous (sorta) person :"Can't we all just get along?" 73 Gary
Hi Gary, They didn't put themselves out on a limb, and I wasn't stoning them. Be sure to see my suggested 'copy'--that they should have sent. There is no one-upmanship. Sometimes rude people need to be reminded who is on the other end. Especially if they feign a doctoral degree: that needs to be earned, not assumed.. The response I got was just plain rude. And anonymous to cover for it. I called them on it--before they get rude with others. But I guess that's ham radio in 2017. 73 Chip W1YW
I strongly disagree. Let's throw some truth on the shade, shall we? Most seasoned DXers are old men who have limited interaction with the outside world. Many, if not most are either divorced or widowed and find company with their pets. Many find their social group at clubs, breakfasts and ham conventions. These are fascinating people waiting for someone just to ask. I never hestitate to ask country counts, for example, because I KNOW there will be interesting stories to follow. Hell, I KNOW my country counts, and will volunteer if asked. But I can't tell you what a great time I ALWAYS have when I sit down with other DXers and listen to their achievements and the stories that follow. Gary, I am 62 and know that based on health concerns I will never go on a DXpedition. I will never live (long-term) in a off the path, exotic place. But many, many of these guys have and do. To wit: many top DXers also like being DX. So if I ask them about their 'me awards' I don't give a damn if you think thats bragging or not-- to me its an invitation to learn and gain experience I will never have --and for them its an enjoyable opportunity to be real story tellers and important, even if just for a few minutes. I congratulate ALL DXers who have achieved their goal. I celebrate for them and with them. I love to hear their stories. I am HAPPY to 'boost their egos'. I feel in no way diminished. You should feel the same way too, IMO. 73 Chip W1YW
With the cartoon in the post , that indicates to me that Dr. DX knows what's what - with conditions so twitchy these days , you need to cast a long--wire around like that to work DX .
