[ADXA] The best DX band. and other old stuff.

Tue Jul 7 11:13:47 EDT 2026

Randy,
  I bet if you can find your paddle & get on the air this weekend for the
IARU contest, you will work several ATNOs on 20M…
Chuck

On Tue, Jul 7, 2026 at 9:18 AM Charles McKenzie via ADXA <
adxa at mailman.qth.net> wrote:

> Randy,
>      Always love reading your Emails!   Did my testing back in the early
> 80's at Little Rock.....I was so nervous I barely remember the drive and
> even where the testing took place at but I passed General and Advanced,
> code testing was like you said a big room lotsa echo and a cheap
> cassette player. Today I go were the DX is but my favorite is 17 , lotsa 20
> meter characteristics without the ego's Debbie and I love the chase!!! I
> see K5UR chasing 6 meter DX this am, I need to lower the 6 meter antenna
> today as I'm not seeing the Europe DX that he is!
> PS I was to nervous to even consider food as I drove to Little Rock and
> back before and after testing!
> 73
> KF5TL
> ------------------------------
> *From:* adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net <adxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on
> behalf of Randell Curtis, W5ZJ via ADXA <adxa at mailman.qth.net>
> *Sent:* Tuesday, July 7, 2026 8:29 AM
> *To:* adxa at mailman.qth.net <adxa at mailman.qth.net>
> *Subject:* [ADXA] The best DX band. and other old stuff.
>
>
>
> Greed is a a powerful thing that can lead you to a path of pain and
> misery. A few months ago I wrote about not having 200 countries on any
> band. I set out to try and change that, amd finally did on 15 meters which
> is one of my most favorite bands.
>
> However, a very poweful thing called greed caused me to want 200 countries
> on a second band. I have always felt that 20 meters was the very best DX
> band. My Elmer, W5DYS Paul Dudley spent most of his time on 20 meters where
> he ran a Kenwood TS 820 into a National NCL2000 and then into a 2 element
> hygain tri-band quad. I'm sure you all remember the hygain quad...the one
> with the gamma matches. This was on a free standing 50 ft tower and was
> turned by a prop pitch motor from a WWII bomber. It seemed to me at that
> time, that he was one of the best operators, with the best station ever,
> and he did quite well on 20 meters. I later replaced his quad with a Telrex
> TB5EM, 5 element yagi after he suffered wind damage on the quad.
>
> After a year and a half as a young kid novice operating 15 meters and 40
> meters I hitched a ride, with my friend Paul Coats WD5BMD ( later W5PRC),
> to the exam location in Memphis . I remember this trip well. We ate in at
> the first Taco Bell I had ever seen. I don't remember what I had, but I do
> remember, by drinking water, it fell within the budget of the $2 bucks I
> had in hand.
>
> The general exam was passed, as well as the CW test where I had to send
> and receive 13wpm in a big room full of people testing,  and I was ready to
> operate on 20 meters the very best DX band! What I found on 20 meters was
> lots of big stations, and lots of QRM that quicly overwhelmed my Hammarlund
> HQ129x and Johnson Viking Ranger which I had purchased with money earned
> from digging holes by hand....septic tank holes..at $25 each. When I
> finished digging a hole, it would be over my head, and I would need a
> ladder to climb out. I found this experience much like operating 20 meters.
> I was in much over my head, even after building my first amp, a single 811a
> in grounded grid which gave me a whopping 3db over the Ranger transmitter
> alone (you can do the math). I attempted to build a 20 meter quad, but lack
> of $$, and engineering skills hampered my attempt, and it was a failure.
>
> I finally left 20 meters alone and worked my DX on the easier bands. Which
> brings me up to the current date. I spoke with "Mr. Needmore" and he
> suggested that the easiest way to get to 200 countries on another band  was
> to bite the bullet and spend some time hunting on 20. I set JTAlert to give
> an audible alert on all the DXCC entities that I didn't have on 20, and was
> soon  rewarded with new DX spotted, sounds in the shack. One evening of
> operating around midnight gave me 5 new entities I did not have on 20, and
> I have been able to pick off an occasional new one. This morning I checked
> my count on lotw and it looked like this....
>
> 20M
> <https://lotw.arrl.org/lotwuser/accountcredits?awg_id=DXCC&ac_acct=1&aw_id=DXCC-20>
> 194 0 5 199 199
> 17M
> <https://lotw.arrl.org/lotwuser/accountcredits?awg_id=DXCC&ac_acct=1&aw_id=DXCC-17>
> 188 0 2 190 190
> 15M
> <https://lotw.arrl.org/lotwuser/accountcredits?awg_id=DXCC&ac_acct=1&aw_id=DXCC-15>
> 203 0 4 207 206
>
> Now I am pursing the most elusive DX ever which is the final one before
> raching a personal goal. I suppose If I needed Canada for #200, that
> propagation to Canada would cease or the government would ban Amateur Radio
> in that country. In reality, I do not think #200 will take long to find.
>
> So here we are on Tuesday 7/7/2026, wich happens to be "Taco Tuesday", and
> I hunt for #200 on 20 meters in Honor of my late Elmer Paul W5DYS, and plan
> to have some .99 cent tacos in honor of my  late friend Paul W5PRC.
>
> Everyone do your best to stay cool, and have a great day!
> Randy/W5ZJ
>
>
>
>
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