[Elecraft] RE: ARRL DX: 100!

[Gay Family]

Tom:
	Thanks for your thoughtful response, as always.

> Fast 'n furious, little time to really sit & think,
> REALLY works to develop your proficiency in whatever mode you are using,
> makes you LISTEN and CONCENTRATE. . . . to maximize QSL rates.

	Well, I looked around for people calling CQ, listened until I got their
call down right, checked that they weren't already in my short log, waited
until some they gave their power to someone, wrote that down, looked their
prefix up in the Ham Desktop Reference to see where they were from and then,
if the loudness / power combination looked right (weaker < couple 100 watts
or forget it) and they called CQ or QRZ again, called them. At the end, I
had about 125 stations on my 'attempt' list (Morocco for one) and I called
about 2/3's of those. This probably doesn't qualify as the way to maximize
QSL rates.

> > 'active' operation when working DX in a contest on 40M. There are
> a few DX
> countries which can operate IN the US ham bands, but most cannot.

	I had figured out what they were doing but I wasn't aware why so many were
doing it so I didn't pursue any.

> Though I'm not certain you were serious about a couple of your questions,
> I'll attempt to respond to them anyway:

	I admit to having a basic understanding what the DXCC is, although not the
detail, so that was a bit tongue-in-cheek. Such as the mechanics of QSL
cards. I've yet to get some of those printed up and figure the bureau
system. I've e-mailed a couple of DX contacts who had e-mail addresses in
QRZ and gotten some responses.

> Multipliers

	This one has me buffaloed a bit. So basically, for this contest the score
is my number of contacts (25) times the number of countries worked per band,
dupes (same station, same band) eliminated? I didn't have any of those. I
had 25 contacts, 13 "countries" (Alaska and Hawaii don't seem like
countries) but nineteen multipliers (6 additional countries in different
band combinations).

	So my score is 475???  My vocation is veterinary analytical epidemiologist
(more than a few statistics courses) and I profess at the associate level
thereof but my undergraduate degree is mechanical engineering BC (before
calculators, CAD). All EE's probably recognize that my inability to figure
this out is likely coming from that first degree.

	Thanks again.

John, KD7OIU