DX Expeditions.
In my reports issued daily I try and be fair with my evaluation of the operations, that is if they are on working stations, or they as I call it on and off, off more then on type of scenario.
We realize things can change, licensing can be a problem in foreign countries, authorities charging outrageous sums of money for a few pieces of paper. Also funding may be a problem, thing is there are many items to consider before going on a major expedition, the necessary items. Food, shelters, in some case transmitter power, antenna restrictions, or power restrictions at motels, or the country it self, duty that must be paid on equipment and of course some form of sanitation.
If we figure in all this, a major expedition can run well over a $100,000 and sometimes more in the process. So when an expedition asks for donations, I always give some when requesting my card via OQRS.
We have those share of free loaders who send in nothing, complain about donations and may request a card, maybe not.
Let’s take for instance some of the more recent efforts, namely the VK9 attempts, little operating took place, mostly I heard the ops played golf and devoted sparse time to the ham bands. Another one that did not make it was ZC4 little heard from this side. The 8Q7 operations were a total bust, they claimed North America was not heard through the internet noise on the island. Yet, they had no trouble working Europe as their log indicates.
J5UAP did not make it this month as advertised, it has been rescheduled for February maybe. In one past expedition namely VU7 it seems they were operating 5 X2 that is on five minutes a day and two contacts. This indeed was a strange one on the same time every day on 15 netters same frequency and two contacts. The saving grace of this one was an American started operating and made lots of CW contacts. It seems the Indian ops were content with the 5X2 operation.
There were others such as 9U and 9X, they just never got going, big disappointments for us all since many were hoping for a new country.
I sometimes make a call on DX expeditions, or operations, usually my comment is “Write it Off” and we move on to another operation. For those great ones I make a notation about the ops as great, or rather confused depending on their habits.
In any event we pass along the news as we receive it and no assurance it will happen, that is just ham radio, plus all the variables going with the operation.
With that in mind, good DX and great hunting, if you do not get that rare this time, there will be other chances, you just have to wait and be patient.
