Where's the QRS DX?

KE0EYJ · Oct 18, 2018

WA7WJR said: ↑

I can speak about Vietnam and other parts of SE Asia from my experience operating in Vietnam for the past 2 years.

HAM radio is a foreign a concept here. When I fly the inspectors ask what my K2\100 is and I simply tell them it’s a radio. Then they sometimes ask if there is a battery and I reply no and they let me proceed. Other times they discuss it with other inspector, closely examine it, I show them my license (which specifically lists equipment) which generates further discussion, some calls to higher authorities, and occasionally several photographs of the gear. It’s a great production that gets many people looking at the whole affair.

All this is to say...in SE Asia Amateur Radio has few new inductees among its ranks per year.. Think less than 100 per year. (This excludes Japan)

There is also the cost factor. Here in VN operators pay a Frequency Managment Fee which is about $1 usd per month. But most only pay for 2 or 3 bands. 10 bucks per year doesn’t seem like much, but here 10 bucks goes a long long way. One way to think of it is paying for 3 bands per year buys me about 1 months worth of groceries. I don’t eat junk food, but I certainly don’t starve.

Finally, as has been mentioned, most new operators are greatly restricted by power out. New operators here are limited to 20 watts and ssb only. The 2nd class license gives them cw at 50 watts max. At 3rd class they have 200 watts at thier disposal, but they are already reasonably proficient in cw.
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That sure explains why Vietnam is so darned difficult, even from my HL1ZIX locale, in Korea! We're not THAT far away.

And here I figured it was something to do with geography.

WA7WJR · Oct 18, 2018

KE0EYJ said: ↑

That sure explains why Vietnam is so darned difficult, even from my HL1ZIX locale, in Korea! We're not THAT far away.

And here I figured it was something to do with geography.
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Funny, I was thinking the same thing about your qth I see a South Korea station spotted rarely on DxMaps or DxSummit.

I'll email you...maybe we can work out a sked.

KE0EYJ · Oct 18, 2018

WA7WJR said: ↑

Funny, I was thinking the same thing about your qth I see a South Korea station spotted rarely on DxMaps or DxSummit.

I'll email you...maybe we can work out a sked.
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I'm on now, and we're almost in the zone. I would need to turn my antenna, though (armstrong rotator). Shoot me a message here, if you can in the next hour.

WA7WJR · Oct 18, 2018

I am on 20m at 14.028.0 now also

WA7WJR · Oct 18, 2018

Also...I need to update my reply...I just had a great, but short QSO from YC1DTE in Indonesia at a leisurely 15 wpm.

So. the QRS DX is out there.

W9RAC · Oct 20, 2018

N5WVR said: ↑

A thought just occurred to me. Where is all the slow-speed CW DX?

I have not had very much success working CW DX, because most of it is too fast for me. (I'm comfortable at 15 - 16 wpm. 20 wpm is a stretch, above that is too fast.)

I hear quite a lot of QRS CW (10 - 15 wpm) in the slower parts of the band, such as near 7.114 - 7.120 and around 7.040. The next generation of ops are building their skills there. But it's almost all domestic USA. OTOH, in contests you hear a lot of foreign CW, but it's generally cranking along at 25 wpm. Same thing when you hear the occasional CW DX pileup.

So where does the slow CW DX hang out?

I'm not asking about the rapid-fire QRQ stations who are willing to slow down for us poor mortals. I'm asking about the genuinely new-to-CW ops in other nations, who haven't yet developed more speed. Where are they?

Is CW holding up well in the USA, but in decline elsewhere? Are pretty much all the overseas ops people who have been at it for a decade or longer? Or do new DX ops not try CW?

I would really like to understand this.
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You will find lots of 12 to 18 wpm code, stateside and DX, old novice area, 7112 ish to 7118 or so. hope to hear you then, 73 Rich

Where's the QRS DX?

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