What has happened to the 20 meter DX Window?

[N6PSE]

What has happened to the concept of a twenty meter “DX Window”?

The other day, there were several US stations have a long rag chew at 14195, while ZS8M was working the rest of the world. I hear rag chews more and more in what used to be referred to the DX window on 20 meters.

Is the concept of a DX Window dead and gone?


Paul N6PSE

[KF7BBJ]

I don't think the concept has gone.  It's just not observed on 20m as much as on the other bands.  I'm not sure why.  I still see people observe the DX window on 80m.

73,
Jonathan W6GX

[W2IRT]

I don't think the concept has gone.  It's just not observed on 20m as much as on the other bands.  I'm not sure why.  I still see people observe the DX window on 80m.

73,
Jonathan W6GX

I think a big part of it involves a certain mentally-ill individual in Italy who'll make like miserable for any DXpedition that dares show up on 190 to 195 when he's around.

[STAYVERTICAL]

Gosh! I didn't even know there was a DX window - I thought the whole 20m band was one big DX window.
Surely its big enough to qsy if one section is being used, that is why we have VFO rigs.
Being an internationally occupied band, and with poor conditions and skip zones, it is just possible those stations may not have
even been aware of dx coming in.
Even though I am mainly a PSK31 user, if someone tells me there is DX under or near me, I will qsy to get out of the way, even
though I may not hear them.

Having said that, there are enough hams who are in the grumpy old man category nowdays, and will not hesitate to say
" hey you kids keep off my lawn!" so I guess we will just have to tolerate them until the evening news comes on.

..... Hey you kids .....

[W7ETA]

14.195 is where DXpedetions started showing up a few years ago.  Some people started calling it a DX "window" confusing it with the 75 meter DX window.

One of the reasons I upgraded from General to Extra was to gain access to Kilowatt Alley, where DX hung out on 20 meters, the Extra phone portion.  DX hung out there to minimize how many USA ops could get into the pile up.  DX also hung out in the CW only Extra portions of our bands.

73
Bob

[W2IRT]

14.195 is where DXpedetions started showing up a few years ago. 
<snip>
DX hung out there to minimize how many USA ops could get into the pile up.  DX also hung out in the CW only Extra portions of our bands.

14195 became popular because up until a bunch of years ago (I'm tempted to say right around the time the WARC bands came into existence) U.S. hams couldn't transmit below 14200. DX stations thus setup shop on 14195 listening up to help minimize QRM. The frequency stuck for DXpeditions long after stateside got 150-200 opened up. Now I'm curious - anybody know the year we got 14150-200 in the lower-48 opened to us? It was well before my time on the air in the U.S. (I was active as a VE3 back then).

[N5MOA]

 Now I'm curious - anybody know the year we got 14150-200 in the lower-48 opened to us? It was well before my time on the air in the U.S. (I was active as a VE3 back then).

I don't know when it started, but my first log book has a "US Amateur Bands" chart in the back, effective March 21, 1987. It shows 14.150-14.350 voice privileges at that time, so it was at least that long ago.

No 17m at that time.

[W2IRT]

I was licensed in Canada in '79 and I know back then there was no lower-48 US activity allowed below 200. It changed within a few years of my getting on the air but I'm not sure of exactly when. Early 80s for sure.

[CBISBACK]

I don't think the concept has gone.  It's just not observed on 20m as much as on the other bands.  I'm not sure why.  I still see people observe the DX window on 80m.

73,
Jonathan W6GX

Simple answer, today's Extra-lites have no clue what a DX window is, or how to operate DX, especially split.

Operating skills are lacking,  there wasn't a question on the DX window on the back of the cereal box.

[CBISBACK]

14.195 is where DXpedetions started showing up a few years ago.  Some people started calling it a DX "window" confusing it with the 75 meter DX window.

73
Bob

A "few years ago"??   How about 40 years ago....

We did not confuse it with the 75M DX window..

14.195 was the DX operating freq and occasionally   "Blackie's" listening freq.

If you don't know Blackie,  then you truly are a newbie to 20 SSB...

[W4PC]

A "few years ago"??   How about 40 years ago....

We did not confuse it with the 75M DX window..

14.195 was the DX operating freq and occasionally   "Blackie's" listening freq.

If you don't know Blackie,  then you truly are a newbie to 20 SSB...

W6HLH, 10 KC wide signal on top of DX....

SK in 2005, got a warning in Jan 2005 before his death.

[N0AZZ]

I don't think the concept has gone.  It's just not observed on 20m as much as on the other bands.  I'm not sure why.  I still see people observe the DX window on 80m.

73,
Jonathan W6GX

Simple answer, today's Extra-lites have no clue what a DX window is, or how to operate DX, especially split.

Operating skills are lacking,  there wasn't a question on the DX window on the back of the cereal box.

These are comments usually made by the extra stupid as seen here, it pretty says says it all

[G3RZP]

I've never quite understood why DXpeditions don't transmit below 14150 and listen on 14275 plus or minus. The resultant QRM to the baby broadcasters would surely clean things up.....or annoy certain monomaniacs.

[W7ETA]

Xmitting below 14.150 and listening above 150 would reduce the piles and qrm.

I still remember listening to French speaking hams in wx stations on small French Isalnds, below 14.150 Mcs.

At one time a split past a RIT of 5Kcs would rule out many hams.  Wide splits should be no problem for modern gear.

I've always assumed that DXpedetions use 14.195 so that they can hand out Qs to the most people and so that hams didn't have to hunt thru 20 meters to find them when they get on the air.

From my point of view, 14.195 has never been a DX window--it isn't "reserved" for DX stations to use.

With the advent of internet spotting, DXpedetions using an announced frequency probably doesn't gain much vrs simply finding a clear frequency to xmit on.

73
Bob