[EIDXA] I hope NoUN is kidding

[t.cellman at mchsi.com]

     de w0awl

 
A Paradigm Shift in DX Funding

noun: paradigm shift; plural noun: paradigm shifts

“a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions”

Over here in the “Gray Area” of my N0UN Blog, my lil’ coconut doesn’t function normally, but I embrace it (at times).  I do not like, “the establishment”.  I do not like, “par for the course”.  I do not like, “we’ve always done it this way”.

So I’m “thinking”…

DXpeditions need money to operate.  Some DXpeditions need a lot of money to operate.  Some DXpeditions take terrible operators on their DXpeditions because they have money, while great ops with no money sit home.  Some DXpeditions get pulled off course spending untold hours/days/months trying to find funding.  I imagine asking for a big $5,000 or $50,000 grant could be like having to get down on your knees and beg.  Most DX clubs don’t have enough money to even offer a donation, or to even beg.  Forget that!

So I have decided I’m going to take a half a million dollars and set up an account that DXpeditions can draw from to pay all expenses up front (fully vetted of course).  I’ll also takeover the back end QSL duties where I will charge $100 for LoTW and QSL confirmations after the DXpedition is over to replenish the account.  Do I think 5,000 All Time New Ones (ATNO) for Bouvet will pay $100 each to replenish $500,000 I laid out?  Absolutely.

No more begging big foundations, clubs, donors, etc.  You come to me with your request.  You show me what you’ve done in the past.  You lay out your plans so I can see what the probabilities of success are – and when I approve your DXpedition I’ll write you the check for 300, 400, $500,000 dollars on the spot.  It’s that easy.  Of course when you cash that check, you’ll also be signing off on the back end of your DXpedition where I’ll be handling your QSL confirmations.

I’ll decide where and when I’ll upload your Q’s to LoTW.  I’ll decide whether I’ll use the Bureau or not (probably not).  I’ll come up with the design of the cards.  I’ll also decide who will even get a card and all the other stuff that goes with that.  You concentrate on putting together the best possible team of operators you can so you can hit 200,000 QSO’s.

I can tell you right now (all you frugal Hams that think somebody owes you Bouvet or some rare DX location), you will not owe the DXpedition a thing, you will owe me.  And I am not cheap, so start saving your money.  It should be easy to save your money because you’ll never have to donate to another DXpedition from here on out.  They don’t need your money, they have mine.  Think of all the money you’ll save!  And I really do need you to save your money, because eventually you will have to pay me.

Welcome to the new N0UN DXpedition Pay to Play DXpedition System, or NDXPPDS for short.

Now, I still have to work out a couple small kinks in my system because like I said above, “So I’ve decided I’m going to take a half a million dollars” – well that statement reminded me of last night where I had a little too much to drink and my friends demanded I, “take a cab home“.  Who was I to argue?  After the DUI checkpoint and that nice policeman waved the cab through, and after I made it home –  I let out a sigh of relief and went to bed.