ADXA Folks,

For more years than I can remember, because the phrase became popular long ago before I was born, "How's DX" has been a common and frequent question among DX'ers. The question is even the title of the DX column in QST that our ADXA friend Bernie, W3UR, produces. Given the impact of the pandemic on amateur radio worldwide one could easily modify that question to "Where's DX?".

That's a valid question however it is rooted in what your DX passion is. My current DX focus is to achieve the 300 mark on 160 meters. I am currently at 282 and in the years prior to the 2019-20 winter low band season I would pick up around 4 to 5 new ones each year. I obviously knew the pace would slow once I crossed the 275 mark since the large majority of new ones I need can only be activated by a DXpedition. For the past two seasons I have not work one new DXCC country on 160 meters. I love 160 meters in the winter time. It is still a thrill for me to come into the shack very early each morning, fire up the rig and listen for far away stations in southeast Asia or the Pacific. They are simply not there and can easily lead one to conclude the band is dead.....no propagation. I monitor the ON4KST Low Band Chat page and the old 160 guard that still check in there is convinced band conditions have left us and we no longer have any low band propagation. They almost convinced me as well however during DX contests the CW segment on 160 meters comes alive with a ton of DX.

Then I notice that while the CW segment is void of DX stations with the exception of a couple of stalwarts in EU and JA that religiously come on and call CQ literally every day, the FT8 frequency at 1840 KHz is wide open, and you can hear most of the DX stations by ear so propagation is NOT dead!

40 years ago we all listened to the "old guys" grumble about things, laughed them off and energetically marched toward a goal we wanted to pursue without pause or worry. When I see the grumbling about band conditions from the old guys today I sit back, laugh, and realize today we are the grumbling guys of 40 years ago!!! Hey, that's not being derogatory.....I turned into one as well and sometimes I'm in charge of leading the grumbling!!!! Rather than focus on grumbling, though, I try to focus on a goal each year to keep my amateur radio interest alive and while my goal of 300 on 160 meters is stalled at the moment I simply refocused my goals in the short term. I still want to hit the 300 mark but in the interim I decided to finish WAS on 222 MHz while continuing the DX hunt on HF. I had already worked and confirmed 40 states on 222 MHz so a group of us close to the same count decided to push forward and finish our goal, and we did.

So, now what......where's DX?

Its there, right in front of you. It may not be right in front of you on your preferred mode or band however it is there, most likely on a digital mode. If that makes you vomit in your mouth (sorry but it does for some) then please try to calm your queasy feelings. My favorite mode by far is CW but if a new one I need on 160 meters only shows up on FT8 you better get out of my way!!!! (that's a friendly advisory notice, not a threat!!!). We have cussed and discussed modes here before and it is not productive and benefits no one, so just let it be (I believe the Beatles said that).

If propagation was dead and DX went with it we would not be seeing the activity and QSN reports that you post here on our reflector. Some of you even get mentioned in "The Daily DX" with your QSN posts. Are you missing the thrill of running in a pile up? Get active in one of the DX contests. During the pandemic I have focused my HF operating on DX CW contests. It exercises my operating skills and keeps them fresh, it allows me to assess my station performance and address any issues that arise (better now than in a pileup for a new one when you really need top performance), and it affords me an opportunity to enjoy amateur radio. You don't have to run continuously for 48 hours in a contest either. A couple of hours of active participation will do the trick.

A lot of our ADXA members are in there knocking off new ones, others are on the air staying "radio healthy". If you're not among them you are most likely asking "where's DX?" The answer is "On your radio, turn it on!". To once again quote my favorite line from Shawshank Redemption "Get busy livin', or get busy dying!"

To get busy living you know what to do - "GET IN THERE AND WORK 'EM!!"

73 Joel W5ZN
ADXA President