Let me relate a little story of my early days in ham radio. I was first
licensed as a No Code Tech in 1993. My only goal was to work satellites
and with HEO satellites, AO-10 and AO-13, I thought the world was mine.
I quickly earned DXCC on satellite. However, after being licensed a few
months for some strange reason, I thought I would learn code. I had my
own business at the time and I purchased the Gordon West audio
cassettes. I started listening when I got up in the morning and every
few hours throughout the day and in less than a month I was able to pass
the 5 word code with no mistakes. A few months later, I passed the
General exam and 13 word code. Now, I was ready for HF.
Oh, my, 3Y0PI, Peter Island was on the air. I listened and listened and
they were in the Extra portion of the band all the time. I was going
nuts, there were days I could stand on the other side of the room and
could hear them they were so loud. But I could not work them. I waited
and waited and near the end of the DXpedition, they dropped down to the
General portion of the bands. I was fortunate to finally work them back
in February, 1994 on 20M cw and ssb and 40M cw. The wait was over the
hunt was over and I finally succeeded. I had a Cushcraft R7 at the time.
Not the greatest thing but it did work for that trip. No linear.
Back in the days when I was waiting for 3Y0PI, we did not have email and
internet like we do today but we had packet radio. It was like a
bulletin board. I posted the same dismay as I hear about working W1AW
now. Someone told me.. "It might be fun for you to keep a copy of your
packet message and pull it out when you country (confirmed) total hits
275 and re-read it." I have kept that message and all the replies and
just re-read them. Another said, "Again Bruce, congratulations and
remember that your contact will be one to brag about years from now when
you have the #1 HONOR ROLL on the wall. 73, Gary"
As I grew in my ham radio desires, I put up a beam, a Mosley something.
I could hear things on it that the R7 never heard. I was so happy, so I
thought. Turned out that the traps in the Mosley were really, traps.
They trapped more of the signal than they let through. Through an oops,
the tower fell, broke several elements and Mosley wanted too much to by
the repair parts. I took it down and put up the Force 12 C4, which I am
still using. I could tell the difference between the Mosley and the
Force 12 when I first turned it on.
Now, I cannot work everyone with the first call and I cannot hear
everyone. That is dependent on the location and more importantly
propagation. There were times I was on a net or two and I was able to
work a station on the other side of the world. One net control was in
Florida and one was in Arizona (I think the 325 DX group). It was my
turn to work someone and it was like he was on the local repeater. I
heard in the back ground the net controls talking and saying, "I can't
hear him" and the other replying, "Not only can he hear him, he's
working him".
The key is propagation and your luck in being at the right place at the
right time. It does not matter how much power you have or how high in
the sky your antenna is if you have no propagation. I had to work like a
devil to get Louisiana and Arkansas. I know I am going to have to work
hard for Oklahoma as well. They are just too close for some of the bands.
I hope those that are discouraged with the pileups for W1AW portable
operations hang in there and give it a shot another day. I have found
some I can work the first day within the first hour and others I have
had to wait until they were less wanted and work them towards the end of
the week. Just one of those things.
It was explained to me when I was shopping for a linear from Oklahoma
Comm Center (gone now), there is a pecking order in ham radio. First are
those with big beams and big linears. They are heard by the DX station
first. Then those with smaller linears when they get out of the way.
Then comes those with no linears, then those with smaller beams, then
those with verticals and finally those with other antennas. Propagation
may give you a boost over one of the slots. QRP stations seem to make
contacts all the time proving that full legal limit is not necessary.
That's why it is a hobby. There is always room for experimentation and
the occasional rush when you work a station you were on the hunt for.
Right now, my rush is reaching the Honor Roll (phone or mixed is fine
with me). I am 9 countries away and it might take me 10 years before
they get on the air. I have been chasing Mt Athos for as long as I can
remember. I hear Monk Apollo now and then on CW and can never break the
pileups. Somalia, South Sudan (# 2 most wanted), Montenegro and
Scarborough Reef (# 3 most wanted) are some of the more interesting ones
I still need. And, Lakshadweep Islands (I can barely spell it let alone
know who will go there for longer than a few days). I am happy though to
have North Korea (the most wanted DXCC entity). There may never be an
operator there again in my lifetime.
73...bruce
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