[Elecraft] "On Second Thought, I'll Take The Stairs

[Tony Estep]

>
>
> ...Even using CW it is infinitely easier to work
> DXCC on multiple bands these days than back in the fifties, well maybe I
> will make an exception for the 1958 era....
>
=================
Ha ha, yep. I worked DXCC as a Novice in 1957-58, all on 15 CW. It's true
that signals were popping in from all over the world at the time. But the
level and type of activity were completely different, of course. I worked
many countries still deemed to be rare via QSOs with local hams (e.g.
Johnston Island) or visiting scientists (e.g. Amsterdam Island), but only a
couple via DXpeditions (e.g. Navassa). Often you'd have an exchange of name
and qth, even with rare DX when others were waiting. You found DX by tuning
and listening, and most QSLing was via direct mail. A different world.
Now with clusters and micro-QSOs (5nn tu) you can knock off DXCC within 24
hours during a contest. Which is more fun? I dunno. Either way, hearing
your call come back from the other edge of the world can give a little jolt
of adrenaline, no matter how many times you've done it. I don't get any
jolt seeing my call on the FT8 scroll.

73,
Tony KT0NY