[ADXA] Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Blues?

Tue May 9 10:40:36 EDT 2023

[image: image.png]
I got two New Ones last month (April). I guess that is three ATNO
confirmations this year, so far.
I always hesitate to post "my new ones". = You guys may have worked them 20
years ago, but they are new to ME.
I upped my " total total" by two in April. I don't remember the second one,
but 4W1A was the first.  --

-- In other news, - I took the ARRL dues increase Survey. I voted for $59.
and only digital QST. On the "What is important to me that ARRL provides"
question I checkmarked Contests and LOTW.
- QJ

On Tue, May 9, 2023 at 8:11 AM WB5JJJ <wb5jjj at gmail.com> wrote:

> I got a couple of new ones on 6m just this month.  Both were a surprise to
> CQ calls on FT8.  Not so much on SSB yet, but the conditions are hopefully
> getting better like last Spring.  It was a blast chasing FFMA.
>
> 73's
> George - WB5JJJ
> HoIP - 100105
>
>
> On Tue, May 9, 2023 at 7:09 AM EJ Jones <k5ej at outlook.com> wrote:
>
>> Great post!  Don’t forget 6 m. This is the time of year that I focus on
>> scoring new band countries on 6.   There is almost daily propagation into
>> South America now for those who are new to the band.  In the next few
>> weeks, there will be most likely lots of openings into Europe and Asia.
>> Check out 6 m if you haven’t operated that band before.  Almost all DXing
>> is on 50.313 FT8
>> EJ
>>
>> Get Outlook for iOS <https://aka.ms/o0ukef>
>> ------------------------------
>> *From:* adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net <adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on
>> behalf of w5zn at w5zn.org <w5zn at w5zn.org>
>> *Sent:* Tuesday, May 9, 2023 6:49:19 AM
>> *To:* adxa at mailman.qth.net <adxa at mailman.qth.net>
>> *Subject:* [ADXA] Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Blues?
>>
>>
>> Greetings ADXA Folks,
>>
>> When Eddie Cochran's song "Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Blues" was
>> released in August, 1958, summer was in full force. The weather here in
>> Arkansas has now turned "summer like" and the focus we had on radio through
>> the winter months dissolves into outside activities and other interests. DX
>> activity and reflector traffic diminishes. You might say we suffer from
>> summertime radio blues!
>>
>> Once daylight savings time kicks in I begin the effort of removing all of
>> my low band receive antennas (about a four day job for one person) to allow
>> for summer hay cutting out in the fields as the low band season in the
>> northern hemisphere is winding down. The major contest season is over as
>> well. Before we fall too deep into radio depression, though, an assessment
>> of DX during the past six months is in order so we can plan and look
>> forward to the 2023-2024 season.
>>
>> Activation of the #2 and #3 most needed DX entities was exciting in its
>> own right but to have the upper bands, 10, 12, and 15 meters explode with
>> significant propagation was amazing. Whether it will continue is yet to be
>> seen but if the current propagation trend is any indication the doomsday
>> predictors of a Maunder Minimum can just go sit in the truck next to the TV
>> personalities that masquerade as a weather predicting meteorologist!
>>
>> We all nabbed a new one, at least on a band, during the past six
>> months.......yes even the old dogs of ADXA whether they will admit it or
>> not!! After two years of nothing new on 160 meters due to COVID I was able
>> to add 3 this past winter with the most exciting being Eddie, XV1X, in Viet
>> Nam on 160 CW early one morning that brought my band total to 286.
>>
>> There were days when the spots posted on our reflector were coming in so
>> fast it looked like the DX cluster during CQWW and we were chasing DX all
>> over the bands, night and day! Now, the summertime blues are taking charge,
>> major DXpeditions and DX contests have ended and will not fire back up
>> until the fall. We're all outside doing "summer things".
>>
>> So where does that leave our passion for DX? For those of you who have
>> been around for a while and read my past posts, you know now is the time to
>> plan for the fall-winter DX and contest season. If you wait until then
>> you've missed the train. Now is the time to review your station, your
>> operating technique, and make a list of things that need improvement. Don't
>> just sit around a think (dream?) of what you wish you could do or what you
>> would do if you just "had the time". Get those thoughts out of your head
>> and on paper, write it down, then spend a little time developing a plan to
>> accomplish your goal. Some of my projects take a long time, even years to
>> complete. I pose questions to those who have been successful in
>> accomplishing a similar task and I write it down and assess how that would
>> work in my station configuration. I'll even talk to or visit someone I
>> don't like if I can learn something from them (oh yea, I have a list of
>> those folks!!). I read a lot (I don't really watch television so cut that
>> out and gain some time!) and study the topic I want to implement here.
>> Sometimes I don't understand what I'm reading, so I read it again, and
>> again if needed until it sinks in.
>>
>> If you're a serious DX'er, learn that sleep is secondary to working a new
>> one! Yea, that's right - DX and propagation don't always work on your
>> schedule. Some of you have seen the card in my shack with the picture of a
>> very mean, grizzly coyote that is growling with the caption "You can't run
>> with the BIG DOGS if you pee like a puppy!" Real DX'ers will be awake and
>> at the radio when a new one is on. I have two old dog DX buddies in ADXA
>> that are always on to nab a new one when I am regardless of the time of day
>> or night and we're exchanging texts about who is hearing the station. The
>> importance of that goes much farther than bragging rights. If one of my
>> buddies can hear the station and I can't, I'm reviewing his station
>> installation and why he's outperforming me. It might simply be propagation,
>> even if we're close, but maybe I need to improve something in my station.
>>
>> You can do this. START NOW! You can't work ten projects at the same time
>> but if you prioritize your list you can begin to work them down one by one.
>>
>> By working your plan, you'll be ready to "GET IN THERE AND WORK 'EM!"
>> when the DX starts pouring in.
>>
>> 73 Joel W5ZN
>> ADXA President
>>
>>
>>
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