Sponsoring DXepeditions

I like to write and talk about donating even small amounts of money to DXpeditions. The costs for a DXpedition can be staggering. For me, it’s not just about donating to the “rare ones” - it’s about keeping the airwaves full with great DX (perhaps not even super Rare!). That’s why I was happy to donate small sums to both PJ4C and TN2T to 2012 trips. You may know the TN2T guys from the great job that did @ 9Q last year. TN2T team members include: ON4HIL, ON6CC, ON4IA, PA3EWP, ON4BR, & ON4FG - an experienced team for sure.

Thus, I believe if you’re an active contester or DXer - trying giving back 5-10% of what you spend on your own equipment and activities each year to those that make these trips that make this part of our hobby so much more interesting. INDEXA and many of the larger DX associations are great venues to fund trips as well - but there are plenty of groups out there going to semi-rare places that need your support.

PA QSO Party 2011

I just finished up in the PA QSO party.  Things were very slow for me this year on 40m.  I really couldn’t get anything exciting going on 40m.  I needed my low dipole to be working.  It’s been out of commission since July - soon I’ll hike back there and see what the issue is - if the antenna is really up or if it’s the coax.  All told about 250 QSOs in this running of the PAQP.  It’s been 14 years since my last serious effort in this one.