Here are a few random thoughts and suggestions for anyone else who tries to do
this:
1) If you are a HOUND chasing the FOX (THAT'S US!) and you hope to get in some
Dx'pedition log on a tough path with noise and super weak signals
PLEASE PLEASE do not call only once at 30 wpm and then not xmit again until you
hear our next CQ
What we are trying to do is PIECE together a letter or two of your call - so
you have to do two things to help us:
a) SLOW DOWN - PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
b) Call over and over and over - and we will then have a chance to get ur
callsign
Calling once at a rabbit like speed - is not likely to get you in our log.
Those that kept at it - usually will have a far better chance. It was maddening
to hear a fairly good signal that we would try to respond to - who just waited
as long as 2 mins to call again - PLS KEEP CALLING.
2) If we blow ur call (it happened alot at 9M0W) - keep at us trying to get our
attention to fix it on the fly.
I blew KJ9I as KJ9B due to doppler fading - but he kept calling and he is in
our log as a result - congrats on doing it right!
3) If anyone ever goes out to Layang Layang again (I personally will not be
doing this - Krassy and I have other things on the drawing boards)
a) Get the conference room at the Western end of the complex - put your Rx
antennas for Eu and NA - as FAR out into the open spaces that are out there as
you possibly have coax feeders for - and then you probably can hear with a
quiet noise floor.
b) CONSIDER a K7TJR listening array and put it out there as an alternative to
using beverages - again as far to the west as possible - and you will be
rewarded as a result for doing os.
WE WANTED THE CONFERENCE ROOM - but it was beyond our control - so we were
compromised as a result - HUMAN devices make NOISE!
+++++++++++++++++IF WE DID NOT WORK YOU FOR ANY OF THE ABOVE REASONS - HERE ARE
A FEW MORE TO LAUGH (CRY ABOUT!)
Happiness is NOT having this happen at our exact SUNSET - or at other optimum
listening times:
1) Having the staff cut power at 1040z to swap generators (NOT GOOD!)
2) Having one of the other ops shout something at the worst possible time
during a listening cycle (we tried our best to maintain a quiet room)
Sometimes the staff was rolling carts of our evening meal at 1015-1045z from
the kitchen past us to the dining area - which was a great concentration
breaker!
3) Another unavoidable dilemma is almost getting a weak caller and then having
a local area station decide to call us at the worst possible time - despite our
pleas for NA NA NA NA only! (It happens!)
Anyway - no complaints really - but this is what we had to deal with out there
- and nothing is perfect - we tried as hard as we could and only wish we could
have worked e a few more of you in NA on Topband.
73 and thanks for the memories guys - we had fun trying to work you - I hope
you had fun trying to hear and work us!
CU from the next one - wherever that may be -
Jeff Briggs
DXing on the Edge: The Thrill of 160 Meters
Available worldwide through BookBaby, Array Solutions, DX Engineering, Royal
Society of Great Britain, & Amazon
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