[ADXA] [Fwd: [425ENG] KURE-OSITY #3 * THE K7C RELAY STATIONS]

[Earl]

FYI !!
===================



     The DX spots collection  -  from January 1997 up to July 2005  -  is
     available at  www.425dxn.org/dxspots/, as well the relevant software
____________________________________________________________________________


                                  KURE-OSITY #3
                  OUR FRIENDS AT HOME - THE K7C RELAY STATIONS
                     by H. Ward Silver, NOAX (n0ax at arrl.net)
                                (28 August 2005)

DXers have gotten used to the  idea of "pilot"  stations, pioneered by  ON4UN
for the VKOIR expedition to Heard  Island.  These stations generally  provide
valuable assistance to the expedition, reporting to the team about conditions
and activities as  seen from  afar and  providing advice  and information  to
DXers trying to make a QSO with the team.   With the introduction of the  DXA
Web portal, the pilot stations can now provide even more value and are called
"Relay Stations".

Most importantly -  we want to  be sure  that everyone  understands that  the
Relay Stations are NOT the same thing as  DX Net "M.C." stations.  They  will
NOT be assisting individual DXers make contacts  with K7C.  They will NOT  be
"re-broadcasting" audio  from  the expedition  so  that DXers  can  hear  K7C
better.  They will NOT be providing reports on whether a specific call is  in
the K7C log.  It's up to the DXer to make the  QSO by making the most of  his
or  her  own  skills,  wits,  and  stamina.    The  Relay  Stations  will  be
contributing material to the DXA Web portal in support of the expedition  and
to enrich the information available to DXers during the operation.

What DOES a K7C Relay Station do, that a  pilot doesn't?  Think of the  Relay
Stations as  reporters,  covering the  K7C  expedition and  publishing  their
reports on the DXA Web site. They might:

* Capture audio off the air and upload it to the DXA Web site as a sample
* Post news and messages from the team to the DXA Web site
* Collect information from DXers and post it to DXA
* Generate material such as charts, descriptions, graphs, etc. that may be
    of interest to DXers

Their goal is to provide information to  the large number of DXers that  will
be chasing K7C QSOs to avoid duplicating effort, reduce unnecessary QRM,  and
get more DXer  callsigns in the  K7C log.   Remember that the  idea of  Pilot
stations was a little strange at their introduction, but they have proved  to
be invaluable for larger expeditions that  attract significant pileups.   The
K7C team  anticipates  that  the  additional  assistance  rendered  by  Relay
Stations will be seen as natural and as accepted as Pilot stations are today.

Steve Wright VE7CT is coordinating our relay operators:
* Chief Pilot and West Coast  Steve Hammer, K6SGH
* Canada                      Paul Peters, VE7AVV
* Germany                     Roger Mulzer, DL5RBW
* South Africa                Bernie Van der Walt, ZS4TX
* Scandinavia                 Jaakko Silanto, OH1MA
* Mexico                      Joaquin Solana, XE1YJS
* Israel                      Ami Shami, 4X4DK
* Britain                     Don Field, G3XTT
* Hawaii                      Lee Wical, KH6BZF

The  K7C  team  is  deeply  appreciative  to  these  individuals  for   their
assistance!

NOTE - we  don't yet have  a relay  station from  East Asia  (such as  Japan,
China, Indonesia, etc.) or  Oceania.  If  you would like  to fill that  need,
contact VE7CT at his Callbook address.

An NOAX DXing Tip - if  you're new to the DX game  or just getting back  into
it, an excellent book to read in preparation for the pileups is The  Complete
DXer  by  Bob  Locher  W9KNI,  published  by  Idiom  Press  (idiompress.com).
Everything you need to know to  work K7C is in  that book -  and you'll be  a
better DXer for reading it!

K7C Web site: http://www.cordell.org/htdocs/KURE/






         ,-~~-.___.
        / |  '     \
       (  )         0
        \_/-, ,----'
           ====           //
          /  \-'~;    /~~~(O)
         /  __/~|   /       |
       =(  _____| (_________|
______________________________

    Mauro Pregliasco, I1JQJ
        425 DX News Editor
     e-mail: i1jqj at 425dxn.org
      http://www.425dxn.org



-- 
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Anti-Virus.
Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 267.10.18/89 - Release Date: 02/09/2005


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

                         >>> 425 DX NEWS - NEW SEARCH TOOL <<<

Leonardo Lastrucci, IZ5FSA  has developed a software which allows to query the
425 DX News Archive  maintained on www.ariscandicci.it from the PacketCluster.
The command is SH/425 [text], where [text] should be replaced with a callsign,
a IOTA Reference number, Island name, Antarctica Base, Lighthouse, etc.