I don't know if this Reflector is the ideal forum for a discussion
about the merits or otherwise of the Chanukes vs. the Yankees, but
let me offer some suggestions.
By most standards, I'm unbiased. I've visited both countries,
enjoyed both, have friends in both, and even work both occasionally
in contests. Gee, to my untrained ear with its heavy accent the
people even sound the same! I couldn't care less about your mutual
differences, and neither could most people on this Reflector.
What sparked some of this international mud-slinging was a series of
comments about perceived inadequate operating skills on a certain
DXpedition. As these comments are thoughless and virtually identical
to the misplaced comments in the early days of the K7K expedition, I
don't think I'll even try to address those concerns again. Let me
just point out:
* It is a fact of life that the people that have the inclination,
time and money to go on DXpeditions are not necessarily the
best equipped for the job.
* It is also a fact that someone who sacrifices significant time,
money and energy to go on a DXpedition cannot be dictated to.
Quoting the organiser of a recent low band DXpedition: "My
time, my money, my energy, my sleep, my equipment, your rules?
No way!". The Golden Rule applies: "He who spends the gold,
makes the rules".
It's a free world. You're welcome to organise the best DXpedition
the world has ever seen, using your own time and your own resources.
If you cannot do that, at least sit back and allow the other guys to
do their thing.
One final perspective: Even Rudi Klos was not born a perfect
DXpeditioner. Looking back at my own DXpedition efforts, I must
concede that some of the early operations were embarrassingly small
scale. Nevertheless, people like the NCDXF supported us, and we
learned new tricks. By the time the opportunities for bigger things
came along with Walvis Bay and the Penguin Islands, the painful
lessons had been learned and we were ready to do reasonable
operations with tens of thousands of contacts and with a reasonable
presence on the low bands.
What would have happened if those first 500-QSO efforts at H5AYB and
ZS6BCR/A22 were subject to the same kind of scornful public rhetoric
that the current expeditions are? Who knows? But I can venture a
guess. A nineteen-year old packing his jalopy with modest equipment
and driving a few hours to a neighbouring country would probably not
have reacted too well. Would that nineteen-year old's untested self
image have survived the assault of a barrage of ill-considered
comments by armchair operators with a beer gut? I doubt it. Would
he have been around when more worth while opportunities presented
themselves? I doubt it. He may well have taken up stamp collecting.
So, guys: We all understand your frustration at missing a new
country. We all understand that you absolutely must work all
countries by your next birthday. Just cut the operators some slack.
And if you really must vent your spleen, do it in the privacy of your
own home.
Chris R. Burger
ZS6EZ
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