I wrote DXpeditioning Basics in 1993-1994. It was originally published jointly by
ARRL and INDEXA in 1994. It was printed by W4MPY for INDEXA and available
in book form for a nominal fee. The book is no longer in print, but it is available
free, on-line at the link above.
In addition to DXpeditioning Basics, I have written a text for DXpedition Web sites that is intended to convey to DXers how the DXpedition operators would like to be called. This text can be found at www.dxpeditioningbasics.com/files/howtoworkus.html The text can be edited to meet DXpedition needs.
DXpeditioning Basics was written for several reasons. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was a perception that DX operating was degenerating. While this wasn’t a particularly new concept, it had become a matter of concern. It was always clear to me that the operating on both sides of the pileup could be most easily controlled by the DXpedition operator. It followed that it should always be easier to guide one DXpedition operator than the hundreds or thousands of operators in the pileups.
In preparation for the ZA1A DXpedition to Albania in 1991, and at the suggestion of Martti Laine, OH2BH, I wrote the ZA1A DXpedition Operating Manual. This short piece wasn’t so much a tutorial for the ZA1A operators, who were all quite well qualified, but rather it was written to help establish operating consistency among our group, which in turn would help in establishing a well-run operating environment.
In the next couple of years, several short lists were prepared by various authors, directing DXers and DXpeditioners how to get the most out of pileups and how to behave in such a way as to prevent pileups from degenerating. These lists gave DXers and DXpeditioners guidance in bullet point form. I felt that these lists fell short, because there was little elaboration. For some of the points there was little or no explanation of why certain methods were effective or even acceptable. For this reason, I decided to write DXpeditioning Basics. It contains a more complete discussion of many of the important concepts in DXpeditioning. By discussing the various points, I hoped to make a better case for the “rules” that had been presented.
In the years since DB was written, DXing has changed in a number of ways. Technology in particular has changed. More bands are involved, and we now have the Internet. We have Web-Logs and LoTW. Because of these changes and many more, I will be expanding and updating DXpeditioning Basics in the next few months. The results will be presented here first. In the interim, I am making the original version available through the links below.
WAM -- September, 2010
In addition to DXpeditioning Basics, I have written a text for DXpedition Web sites that is intended to convey to DXers how the DXpedition operators would like to be called. This text can be found at www.dxpeditioningbasics.com/files/howtoworkus.html The text can be edited to meet DXpedition needs.
DXpeditioning Basics was written for several reasons. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was a perception that DX operating was degenerating. While this wasn’t a particularly new concept, it had become a matter of concern. It was always clear to me that the operating on both sides of the pileup could be most easily controlled by the DXpedition operator. It followed that it should always be easier to guide one DXpedition operator than the hundreds or thousands of operators in the pileups.
In preparation for the ZA1A DXpedition to Albania in 1991, and at the suggestion of Martti Laine, OH2BH, I wrote the ZA1A DXpedition Operating Manual. This short piece wasn’t so much a tutorial for the ZA1A operators, who were all quite well qualified, but rather it was written to help establish operating consistency among our group, which in turn would help in establishing a well-run operating environment.
In the next couple of years, several short lists were prepared by various authors, directing DXers and DXpeditioners how to get the most out of pileups and how to behave in such a way as to prevent pileups from degenerating. These lists gave DXers and DXpeditioners guidance in bullet point form. I felt that these lists fell short, because there was little elaboration. For some of the points there was little or no explanation of why certain methods were effective or even acceptable. For this reason, I decided to write DXpeditioning Basics. It contains a more complete discussion of many of the important concepts in DXpeditioning. By discussing the various points, I hoped to make a better case for the “rules” that had been presented.
In the years since DB was written, DXing has changed in a number of ways. Technology in particular has changed. More bands are involved, and we now have the Internet. We have Web-Logs and LoTW. Because of these changes and many more, I will be expanding and updating DXpeditioning Basics in the next few months. The results will be presented here first. In the interim, I am making the original version available through the links below.
WAM -- September, 2010
DXpeditioning Basics at ARRL
http://www.arrl.org/files/file/DXCC/dx-basics.pdf
DXpeditioning Basics at INDEXA
http://www.indexa.org/dxpeditioningbasics.html
http://www.arrl.org/files/file/DXCC/dx-basics.pdf
DXpeditioning Basics at INDEXA
http://www.indexa.org/dxpeditioningbasics.html
DXpeditioner Vince Thompson, K5VT (SK) -- One of the Best
DXpeditioning Basics
by
Wayne Mills, N7NG
by
Wayne Mills, N7NG