I am not a contest op nor will I ever be one. I tried my hand at working a few stations in the 2022 ARRL DX contest. Not properly reading the exchange required and then not paying attention to the other stations when they asked for the required info, created confusion. (Since I am running 25 watts into an attic antenna, when I hear a question mark during a contest, I assume they are asking for a repeat.) What got my attention was when one station dropped down from 30 WPM to ask for my state when I realized something was not right. I was ready to pull the plug as I felt no one could hear me, but when I started sending the correct information my success rate improved.
I guess in the future during big contest weekends I should head to the WARC Bands.
I am not a contester, but from time to time I make a few contacts during the monthly SKCC’s SKS. I am finding it a good time to put my TR-25 on line. I have to streamline the setup so when using my “field radio” on the operating table it is not a sight. I used my original straight key from 1958. Please see the photo below.
Throughout the years I have never had very good HF antennas. If fact my antennas have gone from not so good to poor. As a result, most of my DX contacts have been short to very short. I guess it would be nice to have good antennas and run power to garner enough attention that a DX station would be inclined to spend a few minutes exchanging words beyond a signal report, QTH and maybe a name.
I appreciate every contact I make, but a few DX contacts stand out. Several such QSO’s came to mind the other day when I received a response to my CQ on the low end of 20 meters (CW). It was from a station in the southern Caribbean. After getting over the shock from getting an answer to my CQ let alone from a DX station, I decided to try and extend the contact a bit and send more than just a report and my state. It worked and we had a nice exchange. Greg, Thank you.
As stated on my web site and blog posts, I like chasing DX. To a lesser extent I like chasing parks and other unique stations (e.g., meaningful special events). I like CW rag chewing, but always look for the station to be far away. That is not to say I have not had some great rag chews on the bands with stations close in. Back to reality, running 25 watts I give up one s-unit to the normal barefoot transceiver. Add to that an attic antenna and how much DX can one expect. Believe it or not some and even some not so run of the mill DX.
Lose another s-unit and bring into the mix my Penntek TR-25 and five to seven watts and you have the makings of a rag chewing machine. The need for the other station to be far away disappears and the value of the conversation takes over.
I like to work DX, but as of late this has been a challenge. A challenge because I am using an attic antenna in a not so tall house, running 25 watts and the band conditions have not been so kind. This week as fall approached condition were a bit better. I worked into EU on 20 meter CW. Not every station I called, but a few. The highlight was working a station in Nairobi Kenya. I am sure a high percent of the stations I am competing with are running more power and have much more effective antennas. A big part of being able to make the contact goes to the DX station/operator, but I hope finding the right frequency to put my signal and some operating skill contributed a little.
