The new TBDXC Marathon Manager

We are delighted to announce that Hans Ostnell LB6GG has accepted to serve as the TBDXC Marathon Manager. Here's a little background on Hans:

"I've been a ham since December 1990, when I took my first license in Sweden and was assigned the callsign SM7TUG. Since day one I've been an avid CW-operator, even though I worked quite a number of SSB QSO's in the beginning of the 90's – especially on 10 meters – when conditions on that band were no less than awesome. My background is from the Swedish Navy, where I served as R/O, both on submarines and surface vessels. 20 years ago, I moved to Norway, and I was assigned LA2MOA as my first callsign. A couple of years ago, I changed it to LB6GG, which sounds better on CW and is much faster to key in contests and pile-up's. Besides being a proud member of The True Blue Dxers Club, I'm also a member of FOC (#2149) and CWOps (#2530). Me and my XYL currently live in Sviland, near Stavanger on the south west coast. Here I have a pretty good countryside QTH, almost free from local noise. My current main rig is an Icom IC-7700. Antennas are a 2x27 meter Doublet @15magl, an Inverted L for 40 and 30 meters, and since two months I also have a 2el SteppIR on the chimney, about 10magl. Do I work? Yes. I work as a coast radio operator at Norwegian Coast Radio South, formerly known as Rogaland Radio." 

The TBDXC Ultra-Marathon – why participate?

A couple of fellow hams asked Hans, "Why this Ultra-Marathon? There already is a CQ Magazine Marathon that goes on all over the year?"

Yes, that is true, says Hans – but there is a big difference between the two competitions. The CQ Magazine Marathon only counts DXCC entities and zones once - period. Thus, the maximum score that you can reach in a year is 340 + 40 = 380. The TBDXC Ultra-Marathon counts every new DXCC entity, Zone and NEW station once per band, and the maximum score is more or less infinite – totally depending on your activity on the bands. It's like a CQ World Wide Contest that goes on for a full calendar year. Not only every new DXCC entity and Zone count on every band, but every single QSO counts, regardless of whether you're working them in a contest or not. That's why we call the Ultra-Marathon "The hardest competition in Amateur Radio". However, please remember that you don't need to be a diehard competitor to enjoy the Ultra-Marathon. The main, driving idea behind this initiative is to increase activity on CW and SSB, especially between contests, and to give DXers an incentive to be active, to make QSOs. Of course, there's nothing at all wrong with the CQ Magazine Marathon - so why not take part in both? However, rest assured that the 2022 edition of the TBDXC Ultra Marathon will be even more exciting!

Heated competition

Let's have a brief look at the standings in each category, so far in 2021:

The HP CW class is totally dominated by Tom 9A2AJ, who so far has achieved a whooping score of 53,042,704 points, 27,473 QSOs (!), 931 DXCC and 213 Zones. Tom is VERY active, and here's the proof that high activity really is paying off! Bud AA3B is the runner up as per now, followed by Luo 4O4T and John I2IFT on place 3 and 4. We also have an interesting «Scandinavian battle» between your's truly and Steve OZ3SM. It will be thrilling to see the final score in this class, when every participant has uploaded their final logs.

Valter IK0NMJ is the current leader of the HP SSB class, with 6,603,768 points, 6,885 QSOs, 518 DXCC and 130 Zones. That's a truly impressive achievement – considering the crappy HF-conditions, at least in the first half of 2021, and the fact that Valter is using ONLY vertical antennas. It will be interesting to see what he can achieve in 2022, now that sunspots are coming back! First runner up is James KL7KK, who so far has managed to work 331 DXCC's and 132 Zones – from Alaska! That's impressive! Harald OE1HHB is currently holding the third place, followed by Fabrizio IN3ZNR and Tom MI0BHX.

If HP CW is dominated by 9A2AJ, the LP CW class is equally dominated by Vit OK2ZV, with 11,241,710 points, 9,969 QSOs, 687 DXCC's and 164 Zones. Now this is a stunning result! High activity and operating excellence really make the difference, doesn't it? On the second place we find Vic VE9VIC with 4,322,076 points, 3,918 QSO's, 364 DXCC and 114 Zones. Henning OU2I is currently the second runner up with 3,822,924 points, 6,228 QSO's, 332 DXCC and 94 Zones. Well done, all you low power ops!

Working low power SSB hasn't been very easy the last few years, but now we start to see some light in the tunnel. In the LP SSB class, Fabrizio IK4RQI has taken a very solid lead, with 9,802,100 points, 8,492 QSOs, 633 DXCC and 137 Zones. Really impressive, indeed! As first runner up we find Rubens IU1HJF with 1,954,725 points, 3,183 QSO's, 288 DXCC's and 101 Zones. George KM4ODS is the second runner up, with 1,038,160 points, 992 QSOs, 295 DXCC and 85 Zones.

Peter DL3NAA is the true King of the QRP CW class! With a score so far of 2,230,536 points, 3,928 QSO, 384 DXCC's and 78 Zones, Peter has taken a very solid lead, and I hardly think that anyone will take the first place from him, but you never know – of course! Santiago EA3O and Jürgen DF5WW as the first and second runner ups.

Uli DG4SFS has taken a very solid lead in the QRP SSB class, with 22,213 points, 214 QSO's, 78 DXCC's and 19 Zones – with Guillermo HK4KM as first runner up. I bet all QRP operators will have a ball the next coming years, when sunspots are returning and the higher HF-bands getting wide open, making it possible to work almost anything with very low power.

Important: don't forget to upload your final logs for 2021, no later than January 24, 2022!

Changes for the 2022 edition

Changes for the 2022 DX Ultra-Marathon:

• QSOs will be allowed on all the HF bands, 160-10 m, including WARC bands but not 60 m.
• On top of CW and SSB, a MIXED category will be introduced.
• A separate WARC category will be available, for QSOs on 30, 17 and 12 m.
• Participants will have to choose only their power level (HP/LP/QRP) and the mode (CW/SSB/MIXED).
• After every log upload, the routine will do all the work of computing scores according to the rules and updating the leaderboards.
• The leaderboards will rank participants for all possible band (All Bands and WARC), power (HP/LP/QRP) and mode (CW/SSB/MIXED) combinations. In addition, there will be a separate WARC leaderboard including any mode and power level.
• There will be no more option to manually enter results. The only modality will be log upload in ADIF format.
• Country definitions will be as per Clublog list (normal DXCC list, no more WAE countries).

• 2021 participants do not need to re-register. If they want, they can change their power and/or mode category for the 2022 edition. Otherwise, all they have to do is to start uploading their logs from 1 February 2022 and including QSOs made from 1 January 2022.
• New participants for 2022 can register starting from 1 February 2022. Once they have done that, they can upload their logs including QSOs made from 1 January 2022.

• The 2022 DX Ultra-Marathon DOES start on 1 January 2022. The “no log upload and no new registrations period” until February 1^st is to allow for the conclusion of the 2021 edition, computing of the final results and software switchover to the 2022 edition.

• 2021 participants will have until 24 January 2022 to upload their logs. Final results will be announced shortly thereafter and awards for the top 3 positions in each category will be issued during the month of February 2022. Leaderboards for the 2021 edition will remain visible in the “results” section of the website.

73 and Happy Marathon to all from Hans LB6GG