I think the FT4JA team ran one of the better DXpeditions we've seen. 10%
RTTY QSOs is just one of many things they did right in my opinion. I give
them high marks for their entire operation.
However, I have to admit that I am not a fan of selecting a "DXpedition of
the Year". A lot of time, money and hard work go into a successful
operation from a rare location like Juan de Nova or Heard Island. Each
operation has a unique set of challenges. I find it impossible to select
the "best" one.
The 10% RTTY QSO rate is exceptional compared to other rare DXpeditions of
this magnitude. In fact, it is the highest of any comparable DXpedition I
recall. Moreover, the FT4JA RTTY operator(s) demonstrated high competence
whenever I monitored their activity. Effectively running the tremendous
RTTY pileups from such a location is extremely difficult.
I honestly don't know if a higher percentage of RTTY contacts should have
been targeted or achieved by FT4JA. There are many factors to consider.
Each of us has our own interests and goals in working a DXpedition such as
this. It is not as simple as saying 1/3 of the contacts should be RTTY.
Maybe 20% is a fair goal for the future, but I'm personally not convinced.
Heard Island made 4.5% of their QSOs on RTTY. I think that should have been
higher. They clearly emphasized CW over both SSB and RTTY. There is no way
to know if this achieved a higher number of ATNO QSOs with Heard Island.
Certainly, this strategy did not change the Unique percentage in the Clublog
statistics as compared to FT4JA at their 75K QSO mark, nor other recent
comparable DXpeditions.
Both FT4JA and VK0EK constrained their RTTY contacts to 4 and 3 bands
respectively. That helped to focus their RTTY operating time to supply a
new mode rather than additional band-mode-slots. I even question whether
limiting to 2-3 bands would be worth the increase in ATNO RTTY QSOs.
The VK0EK DXA website capability was amazing. Current band-mode operation
was shown real-time. The actual log rolled by real-time. QSOs were
confirmed within 1-2 minutes. Within a few hours, QSOs were confirmed on
LotW for those stations who donated at least $5, including those who sent an
online donation during the operation (within 1-2 days). That DXer benefit
is unprecedented, especially from a location where the only Internet
connection is via a very expensive sat phone system. The Heard Island
project was fortunate to find a donor of not only the equipment but 24x7 air
time. Couple this with the ARRL ability to process online DXCC LotW credits
within 1-2 days, meant that a station could work VK0EK and have their DXCC
record officially updated before the DXpedition went QRT.
I appreciate the time, money and effort that these teams (plus their donors
and supporters) contributed for my enjoyment.
Ed W0YK
___________________________________________________________
Jim F2LZ wrote:
Any RTTY fan operator should vote for FT4JA as the DXpedition of the Year:
10010 RTTY QSOs that is 10% of the 100K Juan de Nova contacts.
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