[ADXA] Thrill of Victory - Agony of Defeat

[Joel Harrison]

Tonya, KE5SNS, brought up a good point about the frustration we have all
experienced in trying to work a significant DX station, especially a
DXpedition that is only active for a very short time and won't be back for
possibly a very, very long time.

For those of us who have been in this hunt for several years we can sit
around and tell victory and defeat stories all day.....sometimes we do,
especially the "victory" stories when our buddy was defeated! :-))

If this were easy, we wouldn't be so proud to hang our DXCC certificate on
the wall or walk around at a ham gathering with our DXCC pin on our shirt,
cap or jacket. From my perspective, it makes us who we are as DX'ers in
amateur radio. To share a current victory and, so far, defeat I was
ecstatic to be able to work VP8STI on 160 meters. A proud accomplishment
for me but I also need them on 12 meters and I am yet to work them. There
has been no propagation here on 12. Yesterday, I was all poised to nail
them on 12 if the band opened. Reviewing the prop charts for when they had
worked U.S. Zone 4 the target time was around 2100 - 2300z. So, being that
I have been a bit of a horse's behind ignoring my wife the past two weeks
with K5P and VP8STI both on the air I thought I would be nice and take her
to lunch yesterday, especially since she cancelled a "shopping trip" due
to the snow and bad roads. So, we're at lunch, I come back and check in
with Rick K5UR who was also on "12 meter watch" and guess what? There was
a very brief 2 minute opening at 1730z. Rick snagged 'em, I snagged a
hamburger at the "Highway 55" restaurant!! DEFEAT!!!

I spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening glued to 12 meters but
no cigar. I got so frustrated I finally had to just walk away from the
shack....maybe today!

J, N5LKE, has been pounding away for K5P since its start and finally
nailed them on 17 meters yesterday for an all time new one for DXCC -
VICTORY!!!

As I said, the list of experiences can go on forever. San K5YY has been
relating some of his experiences as of late from his current QTH with a
smaller antenna installation for the low bands from what he had for
several years.

We still have a couple of days so do NOT give up!!! Every time I'm ready
to do so I remember the FT5ZM Amsterdam op a year or so ago. Our window on
160 meters was very short and we had to fight through that darn east coast
wall. A number of us kept plugging away and on the very last QSO on 160 my
buddy down in south Texas, K5RK, nailed them....the very last stinkin' Q
!!!!! I was "defeated" in my attempt but Larry never gave up and did the 3
point shot / hail mary pass at the buzzer and won.

Don't give up !!!!!!

73 Joel W5ZN



www.w5zn.org