Monday plans

My main aim today is to match my earth-electrode "antenna" on MF. I I can do this, I can try it on FT8 or WSPR TX on 160m or 80m.

Later, I may try 10m QRP FT8 again with the QDX, although it does not teach me much - I know less than 5W of FT8 can get spotted across the planet. All these stations could be worked, but I do not have the energy to chase these!

UPDATE 1021z: After adding more turns to the primary of my 3C90 transformer I can get a perfect match on 160m and 80m with my earth electrode "antenna" with the auto-ATU in the FT-710. I shall try 160m WSPR or FT8 tonight!

Working DX

DX means different things to different people. 

To some, it is trying to work all countries available today on SSB, perhaps with the full legal power (or more!) and a big beam on a tower. To others it is working across town with uW powers.

Back in the 1980s I owned a Yaesu FT7. This was an HF only 10W rig. I worked DXCC with it and simple antennas (mostly dipoles) on SSB.

These days I am on RX more than TX. I still prefer QRP! If DXCC chasing is your "thing" fine.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/commercial-rigs/yaesu-ft7 .

FT7 HF transceiver

 I got mine second hand in 1979. It was a 10W SSB and CW rig covering all bands from 80-10m (no WARC bands then!), but with limited 10m coverage. With it, and wire dipoles, I worked DXCC QRP SSB on 10m. It ranks as one of the very best radios I have ever owned.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/commercial-rigs/yaesu-ft7 .

DXCC entities

Long ago, I stopped chasing DX. If I work some rare country or QTH square then great, but I do not chase it as if my life depended on it. There is always tomorrow, but if it "gets away" does it really matter? This is just a hobby. Personally, I like to see where my QRP signals reach, but each to their own. There are many ways to enjoy our hobby.

To some working every entity matters. They enjoy the thrill of the chase. I see Southgate News has a link about this. Apparently there 209 DXCC entities active.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2021/april/dxcc-country-entity-report-19-04.htm#.YH0zZSjYrrc .

DXCC countries

Southgate News has a link to the DXCC entities currently available. Having got QRP DXCC on SSB a quarter of a century ago, I do not actively chase DX, but I know some do. 

It is great that we are all different and find so many ways to enjoy our hobby. Some like to chase DX on just a single band or on satellites or VHF.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2020/november/dxcc-report-02-11.htm#.X6ERPruTK00  .

DXCC news

Many years ago I ceased chasing DX. If I work DX then great, but I am not prepared to invest in high power rigs, towers, linears and beams as well as hours and hours calling. Life is just too short. If this "floats your boat" that is fine. Each to their own. Just count me out.

A useful list of current DXCC entities is shown on the Southgate News website.

See http://www.southgatearc.org/news/2020/july/dxcc-report-26-07.htm#.Xx8dQIjYq00

DXCC using FT8

DR4K was carrying out an experiment to see how long DXCC would take with modest power and a simple antenna using FT8. The answer is not long!

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2020/march/dxcc-experiment-completed.htm

DXCC countries

According to Southgate News there are 213 active countries. I am not an active DXCC chaser, but I am probably at about 150 DXCC countries worked mostly with QRP.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2019/july/dxcc-report-1507.htm

DXCC List

Many years ago I stopped chasing DXCC countries. I will not shout and shout to be heard in a rare place, although I fully understand this is important to some.

When I sort of stopped many years ago I had worked well over 100 countries with QRP SSB. If I work a new country, so well and good, although I refuse to buy expensive rigs, linears, towers and beams to enable this. If it happens, it happens!

Southgate News had a piece on DXCC yesterday.
See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/may/dxcc-report-1405.htm#.WvmovUxFzIU

PA3FQA DXCC Status

PA3FQA has posted his DXCC status on Twitter and very impressive it is too.

Although my DXCC for 10m QRP SSB is well over 100, I have not counted for years!

To be honest I am not really a great DX hunter. I am happy for others who do this, but if I work DX it is not through acts of patience and perseverance on my part. I guess I just don't have the staying power these days!

DXCC chasing

I have never really been a DXCC chaser, or a serious contester, although I usually enter the low power section of the UKAC VHF/UHF contests on Tuesday evenings. I think this evening it is a 2m event starting at 2000z. I'll see if my voice lasts an hour! The UKAC events are 2.5 hours long but up to an hour is enough for my poor voice right now.

When I did a rough count of 10m QRP SSB DXCC countries worked over the years it was way over 100. I have worked around 50 DXCC on 6m all QRP SSB and CW.  I have never claimed any awards, but it was interesting to see just how many countries I had worked on 10m QRP SSB. Other HF bands, apart from 10m don't interest me as much.

V5/DK1CE Namibia

Whilst in the shack this morning I turned on the FT817 to hear an unidentified (for nearly 10 minutes) CW station working people and giving 599 reports in the main. I called a few times and eventually got a 599 report, still not sure who the station was. Then, finally, he gave his callsign V5/DK1CE in Namibia. All the more pleased now I know that "3 blobs" on the FT817 is just 2.5W out to the halo antenna. And another DXCC entity this year.

Countries worked this year

There is no way I would call myself a DX chaser at all, preferring to build simple kit and use it to experiment rather than "countries chase" as such. Nonetheless, I thought I'd look back through my logs to see how many countries I'd actually worked on each band during 2012 with my 5W or less QRP.  It is quite surprising to see how many countries I did NOT work and also how few QSOs I had on some of my less favourite bands. At the present time it looks like I worked 46 different DXCC countries with 1-5W SSB/CW. Most QSOs were SSB. By far the most countries were worked on 10m. This season I did not do my usual sport of seeing how many countries I could work on 6m and ended up only working 6 countries this year! Some years I'd worked almost 50. Notice also how few countries I've worked on 160m - 12m: hardly any!

Not included in this list are all the WSPR spots I have received and given around the planet. There are several stations/countries with which WSPR spots have been exchanged that have not been worked in 2-way QSOs.

There is no doubt in my mind that had I concentrated on DXCC with 5W it would have been possible to work well over 100 entities this year even with my very compromised antenna system and 5W or less. Maybe one year I'll give DX working a real blast just to see what I can work, but really I prefer to leave this to others in the main and enjoy other aspects of our wonderful hobby.

Blog visitor DXCC

Just noticed that this blog has been visited by people from 102 different countries this year so far.

2009 countries worked

At the end of the year I've been through the logbook to see how many (few?) countries I worked in the sunspot minimum year with QRP.  Overall I worked 47 countries with 34 worked on 10m and 15 on 6m. This is fewer than previous years as I spent quite a lot of time in the second half of the year on WSPR beaconing, especially on 500kHz. With improving HF conditions I expect to better this total in 2010.

On WSPR, I was very pleased to end the year with 54 unique reports on 500kHz from stations in 9 countries and all with just 1mW ERP to a tiny antenna.

WSPR and DXCC

The following is an extract from a posting on the LF reflector and may suggest getting QRPp DXCC may have become a whole lot easier:

"The discussion at the RSGB meeting noted the ARRL’s position that essentially if two stations make WSPR reports with each other and this is confirmed by QSL or some other approved method then there has been a two way exchange of call sign, report and other info e.g. locator and that qualifies as a QSO for DXCC purposes."

This may surprise some, and did me.

Does anyone know precisely what the ARRL has said regarding DXCC qualification and WSPR? By the definition above I "worked" VK6POP with a few watts of WSPR on 40m earlier this week.

As someone pointed out, a lot LESS data is exchanged in an HF contest, when often the callsigns are not sent (very often) and reports are meaningless. At least with WSPR you get the full calls, location and QTH locators exchanged.