www.lamonica.com  Keith Lamonica W7DXX

john/AE5X, I daresay that the ham you are referring to was certainly trying to do his best, and I hesitate to use the term "lid" in that case.  Certainly I know enough about that ham you are referring to, and he is one FB op.  Inexperience, sure.  But he ain't no LID. 

John, another great example.  Thanks for sharing.  Again my point: it's not just the equipment, it's the operator and skill.

Often a non-big-gun can even the odds with good operating skills

These tips are from my elmers (W4RZ, SK), (N1LN, Bruce) and (KZ1X, Steve).  Too many to share just one.  I will limit it to five that hopefully are relevant but less common.

TIP #1: On SSB, tune/optimize your audio for cleanliness and punch without overdriving it.  I learned this with the Flex.  Mixers after the microphone can be done for older style rigs.  It really makes a difference.

TIP #2: On CW, get a memory keyer (I have a K5).  WAY more efficient to hit a button 100 times in a big pileup than to send your callsign x 100.  And it sounds cleaner, it will get the DX op attention.

TIP #3: Find a way to get on all bands on all modes.  Several of my ATNO came on 30 meter PSK and 12 M RTTY, and I never got them on another band or mode.  Other DX came on WARC bands only (17 meters only for A5A).  If I did not have that capability of all bands, I never would have snagged the DX.

TIP #4: When everyone is chasing the really rare DX in the pileup, tune around and see what everyone else is missing (got VK0IR this way during Malpelo).

TIP #5, CONTESTS: get active during every DX contest (ARRL, CQ DX, CQ WPX, IARU) and every mode (CW, SSB, RTTY).  And get on when foreign DX contests are on (All Asia, Russian DX, etc.)  Also, during SSB contests be sure to check out the CW DX that is on which nobody is chasing at that time.  And during all contests, head over to the WARC bands to work DX that does NOT want to be in the contest.

Agree Chris.  If it is ATNO, that is one thing.  But an hour of guessing where the op will listen, for just a bandfill...pass on that.  Now if the op has a pattern I can detect, or he is moving in a certain direction, then I will give it a shot.  But a random roll of the dice is just not in the cards for me.  XYL has too many "honey do" items as the weather gets nicer, that I can't afford to put off.

Don't laugh, when I joined the USCG and went to the Academy in 1982, I wanted to be in charge of the Yap Island LORAN station for that same reason....I wanted to be the DX!.  In fact, as far as I was concerned I did not care if I was the only Coastie on the island, I figured I would be either sleeping, working, or DXing 24x7!  That should tell you die-hard I have been about DXing.

Having said that, i did talk to a few guys who were on some of those islands. The problem was boredom.  What do to with a bunch of young men on an island with not much else to do?  No women.  Gotta pass the downtime somehow...swimming, watching movies.  That's about it.  And maybe some adult beverages.

But I got married on my first assignment, and the wife did not want me going away for a year right after we got married (neither did I at that point), so that killed the Yap DXpedition.  But we did get to Puerto Rico, and the weather was nice and I got to meet a bunch of hams in the Caribbean every time we pulled into port on the cutter.  (I REALLY wanted to get to Navassa back then, but we were restricted to eastern Caribbean law enforcement, and the buoy tender that went to Navassa was shut down by then and those visits were done by somebody else).

Chris that is OUTSTANDING.  Not surprising given your 25+ years in the hobby, you know how to break the pileups, but it is still well done and a credit to skill and how that is as important as the equipment.

Chris, I heard that mistake with NU1B and wondered if that was you...then heard the correction.  Well done!

And please guys, I can't handle any mental pics of utensils piercing the skin.   

Thanks Chris.  Always good to know that I am not imagining things or losing my mind (at least when it comes to propagation!)

Chris/NU1O, those old-timers are damn lucky to have you and some other hams nearby who are willing to help them.

I noticed similar issues with trying to raise my Hex Beam mast.  I used to just try and push it up (extend it) while the guy ropes were tied, but decided it was easier to raise it up with the ropes.  I started noticing that when I gripped the ropes, my hands started stinging like a bee had attacked them...and then the hands went numb.  Maybe carpal tunnel syndrome from all the computer work, but I don't want to do any surgery.  I would rather just take the motrin and take a break from the PC.

Chuck/NI0C, I think the definition of "easy" is relative.  Of course, working them is half the battle....getting the confirmations is the other half (even with LoTW).  But it would seem (to me anyway) that an experienced ham who has been operating for awhile (and therefore will know a few DX tricks of the trade), is willing to operate on CW and SSB and has a location free of noise without any blocking from the terrain should be able to work 8BDXCC (maybe easier from East Coast than midwest or west coast). 

And I agree with all comments about the importance (and challenges) of WAZ.  I never paid it as much attention, but I am now.  Especially since I found out that 160M WAZ does NOT require all 40 zones.  I think 5BWAZ should be what I focus on next to keep the excitement going, since it will be a LONG time for me before I get to Honor Roll.

Excellent antenna choice.  I hope the operators in Asia and EU are able to work them once the pileups die down after this weekend.

Gene/AF3Y, a terrific comment to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedom.  It's a chance to remind the yougsters these days, so that those brave Americans are never forgotten.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Wake_Island

http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwari1/p/wakeisland.htm

Rich/KY6R, remind me what they are using for antennas?  After reading "Array of Light" I am convinced that phased verts on DXpeds are the way to go; is that what they are using?

Chris, I am with you.  My days of spending hours in front of the rig are long gone.  I can do about 45 minutes max then I have to get up and walk for awhile.

XT2TT nice signal on 80 CW, an hour before sunset on US East Coast.