Foundations of Amateur Radio

Have you ever been on air and in the middle of a wonderful discussion that all of a sudden and often unexpectedly erupts into a heated argument about nothing?

One of those conversations that came to mind was about what the term DX means. I'd been taught that DX means outside the country and if you're calling CQ DX, I was taught that this means that you're looking for a contact in the next country.

So. What's the argument?

Simple really.

In a nutshell, making a contact between Perth and Sydney, nearly 3300 kilometres apart is inside one country, but making a contact across the same distance between say Amsterdam and Lebanon, is about nine countries away. This really means that for every station DX has a different meaning.

So, this DX caper means different things for different people. I've said in the past that I'd laughed when a station made a big deal about contacting Japan, when that's something I do regularly. The opposite effect happened when I contacted Cuba. For me it's a contact on the other side of the planet, for them it's next door.

I asked around for explanations from others about what they thought DX meant:

- Receiving signals & station from remote locations
- Long distance, harder to achieve contacts. 
- Doesn't have to be international, all frequency dependant.
- VK[234] to VK6 is DX ;)
- Outside of my suburb !
- Anything hard I suppose, or anything "overseas"

The take away should be that DX-ing is an activity that means different things to different people. You could put it down to kilometres, or countries, it really doesn't matter. Just be prepared that your measure may not apply to the other station.

Ironically, thinking back to one of my earlier on-air experiences. I called CQ-DX and got a reply that said something along the lines of "What kind of DX are you expecting?" to which I replied: "Anything I can get." is put into a different context by the knowledge that DX is not a fixed idea. At the time I thought that I had done something wrong and that my activities were some how incorrect. Checking with the amateurs nearby at the time, it transpired that this wasn't the case.

My insight into the variation of something that looks like a simple concept, DX, puts a different light on the subject.

I'm highlighting this because I think it's important to understand that when you're on air, you're bringing with you the experiences you have and you're communicating with others who may, or may not share those experiences and understandings, even for something as obvious and common as the concept of DX.

It also spurs me on to continue to develop my QSL card. If you've sent me one and I've not sent you one back, it's because I'm still very unhappy with the design I've got and I'm working on something that's more me, more Australia and captures the essence of the idiosyncrasy that is me.

If you're wondering what a QSL card is, think Amateur Radio Postcard. The name derives from something called the Q-Codes, shortcut names used originally in telegraphy, then by Amateurs in Morse, now also heard in all general conversation on air. The code "QSL" means "Can you acknowledge receipt?" when asked as a question, or it means "I am acknowledging receipt." when used as an answer. The card was named after this as a way to confirm contacts between stations. A QSL card generally contains your callsign, their callsign, the time, date, the band or frequency, the mode and signal reports of the contact. Some go overboard with whole novels, include general information about the station, perhaps a picture of your friendly face, or some other image.

Traditionally, interesting locations, like say Amsterdam Island, activated as FT5ZM go all out in making their cards, since the location is desirable and the card should be as well.

One final comment. To work DX, you need to be on-air, so get your station in good working order, turn it on and make noise. Making contacts, local and DX is about being lucky and the only way you can do that is by actually being on-air and making your own luck.

I'm Onno VK6FLAB