Since the starting bell for the North American Christmas Frenzy (r) has
rung, I suppose it's fair to assume that I can inflict my particularly
warped sense of Christmas Cheer on y'all. Like the holiday fruitcake (the
poem, not me) that was well-received last year, I humbly submit to my
radio buddies and buddettes a shameless pilfering of Clarence Moore's
lyric verse.
May Santa bring us a K of 0 throughout the winter season...
73, Ward N0AX
'Twas the night before Christmas
And all 'cross the bands,
No DX was stirring
>From Brazil to Japan.
My antennas were pointed
With painstaking care,
In hopes that a new one
Soon would be there.
The family was nestled
All snug in their beds,
While visions of TVI
Danced in their heads.
In my slippers and sweater,
Chores finally past,
I'd just settled in
For DX-ing at last.
When out of the speaker
There arose such a ruckus,
That I grabbed for my 'phones
To see who the DX was.
Down to the low end
I tuned in a flash,
And switched in a filter
To get rid of some hash.
With the shack in the light
Of the amplifier's glow,
I tuned up and down
Hoping DX would show.
When what to my wondering
Ears did appear?
But a rapid-fire pileup
With DX in the clear!
As DXers clamor,
Calling low and then high,
When after a rare one
Raise a great hue and cry.
More rapid than popcorn,
The callsigns they came,
And he heard them, and logged them,
And called them by name.
"OH and PY and Hotel Charlie Eight,
JA and ZS and a Washington State!"
"All forty zones
and six continents, too.
I can copy you all!
It's a marvelous zoo!"
I could tell he was rare
>From that fluttery sound.
And I heard him quite clearly
As he turned it around.
"GM GE ES BEST DX TOO
QSL VIA BURO ES BCNU"
His fist, how it sparkled,
His callsign, sent well,
Made his signal to ring
Like the sound of a bell!
He worked through the callers
Like a championship.
And even tailenders;
Worked 'em lickedy-split.
I wasted no time and
Went straight to my work,
Calling up three
Where the big signals lurk.
My call came right back
Like he knew I was there.
The code crackled over
The cold winter air.
And then it was over,
It was down in the log.
I filled out my card
And sipped some egg-nog.
But I heard him exclaim
Before calling anew,
"Merry Christmas to all,
Listening up one to two!"
--
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