[ADXA] I Want My MTV !

Tue Apr 23 09:34:36 EDT 2024

Greetings ADXA Folks,

April is quickly moving into history. As I've noted before, the past several
years I've been a 160-meter DX enthusiast in my goal to hit the 300 DXCC
mark on that band, currently at 290. The low band season starts to fade this
time of year and my mind focusses on other amateur radio and personal
interests. I'm quite excited with all the DX activity on the bands and
within ADXA. Everyone is racking up nice band countries as well as all time
new ones.

This morning I was watching the YouTube video of the Visalia DX Forum. Well,
up until the time the ridiculous madness took over and I could no longer
stand it and turned it off. The primary topic of debate in the forum was
reducing the requirement to achieve DXCC Honor Roll. We've had this same
debate within ADXA more than once and Bill, K5FUV, has presented an
excellent program on this topic during our past two annual conferences. The
one comment during the Visalia DX Forum that pushed me over the cliff was
"We need to Honor Roll easy for the 'newbies' so they can achieve some
status!" WHAT???? (I actually added a few other words to "what" but it is
inappropriate to repeat those here!). What is it about the DXCC Honor Roll
that you must reduce the requirements just so a "newbie" can acquire some
status? Let's review the opportunities a "newbie" has for status in the DXCC
program:

1.	Achieving DXCC - confirming 100 countries. You have now entered the
great hall of DX
2.	Achieving DXCC on more than one band or mode - You have proven you
aren't running a Heathkit HW-32 and can move around to other bands/modes
effectively
3.	Achieving the 1,000 mark in the DXCC Challenge, then increasing that
total to the next '500' level
4.	Achieving 5 Band DXCC (or many more than 5)

These are all very special achievements...ALL OF THEM! And I'm very proud of
the fact that the ADXA folks are achieving goals in several of these areas
and not simply focused on DXCC Honor Roll. Let's not forget the reason the
DXCC Honor Roll is so coveted is because it is the pinnacle achievement in
DXCC and should not be reduced to "everyone gets a trophy!" 

C'mon Harrison, you are on the DXCC Honor Roll so you don't want anyone else
to get there. NOT SO! I want to see every ADXA member achieve DXCC Honor
Roll, but not because the requirements were lowered. Even though I'm on the
Honor Roll I am not "Top of the Honor Roll". I need only one, P5 North
Korea. Now, Dennis W5RZ is "Top" so I'm jealous and have my lip pooched out.
I've been DX'ing for what seems like a millennium and I "deserve" to have it
so let's remove P5? Absolutely not. The day I finally achieve "Top" I want
it to still be as prestigious as it is today. 

Some of the comments during the portion of the forum I watched (before I had
to vomit) is to place some countries on an "inactive" list, not delete them,
but make them inactive so they don't count toward the Honor Roll
requirement. OK, let's think about this for a minute and let me use the
recent Bouvet operation as an example. Let's say Bouvet was moved to the
inactive list. Several of you make Honor Roll. Bouvet comes on the air and
is moved from inactive to active and you are not able to work Bouvet. Some
of you were not. So what happens now? You fall off the Honor Roll because
the entity requirement increased and you didn't make it. You going to turn
in your plaque? I didn't think so. There would be another cry to lower the
requirements or allow for a "special accommodation".

With credit to Dire Straits - I want my MTV! "I shoulda learned to play the
guitar, I shoulda learned to play them drums" Maybe we shoulda learned some
patience! Honor Roll for nothing and your plaque for free?

I once had a boss who kept a pacifier in his desk. When someone would walk
into his office and start complaining (whining) he would reach in his desk
and hand you the pacifier. Yea, I was the recipient on more than one
occasion so for now I'll stop whining and highlight some of the great
achievements ADXA folks have made as recorded in the "Member Standings" page
on the ADXA website.

DXCC Challenge:

1,000 - 1,499 - 11

1,500 - 1,999 - 12

2,000 - 2,499 - 5

2,500-2,999 - 3

>3,000 - 2

Those so close to 1,000 they can smell it - 5

5 Band DXCC - 31

DXCC on more than one band/mode - 52

And for Honor Roll 10 are "Top of the Honor Roll" and 20 are on the Honor
Roll. 

I'll put the ADXA folks up against any DX group in the country...heck, in
the world. So, while working toward DXCC Honor Roll don't overlook the fact
there are many other highly coveted DXCC achievements that will cement your
status as a BIG DOG in the world of DX. Now, with that pursuit in mind "GET
IN THERE AND WORK 'EM!"

73 Joel W5ZN

ADXA President

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