Firstly, it is obvious to me that all the recent debate around DXpedition protocol means Freeband DXers are ready to move from a past era of, at times, questionable practices to a new one of professionalism. The expectation here appears to be that “if ain’t done properly then it shouldn’t be done at all” and if there are doubts over the legitimacy of an activity or how it is conducted then people are prepared to question that — as they are entitled to do — whether it damages a few egos in the process or not.

Moving into my symposium about DXpedition protocol now, the number one learning experience to come out of the recent dialogue involving Marco’s trip to St. Barthelemy Island for me personally was that some elements of our Freeband Community do not understand the challenges that befit DXpedition operations, mores exclusively the process of logging stations during periods of extreme activity (ie. pile ups).

Practised DXpeditioners will be of the same mind that it is not uncommon for hundreds of stations to be calling on a frequency at any one time and I don’t mean just a ‘simple’ call. I mean a thunderous, repetitive shriek while the poor DXpedition operator sits back in his chair trying to pull a unit number out of the chaos, the whole time under the constant imposition of time, knowing that every second wasted is a contact missed during ever-changing band conditions. It is not always like this might I add, but it happens when the band is in great shape and the station in question is an attractive one on the DX market.

My question here and one that was raised by 207SA139 Marco himself during private conversations with me, is "must the DXpeditioners wait for a confirmation in the pile up many times over or should he continue his activity?"

Essentially, it is a judgement call whether or not to stop a pile-up to ensure a callsign is 100% correct — an on-the-spot decision which has to be made based on the amount of activity on the frequency at that time (including QRN and QRM), the certainty of the callsign logged, the number of times the callsign has been asked to be repeated, and of course the patience of those who wait for their turn in the log-line.

The sad fact of the matter is though that many Freeband and Ham operators will not tolerate a slow moving DXpedition station, just as they will not stomach a station taking up excessive time on the frequency to clarify their own callsign. They simply lose patience and start calling over the top of them, even if they cannot hear the DXpedition station or the calling station in question.

In this lamentable scenario, DXpedition stations can either do their best to log a callsign they ‘think’ they heard or eliminate the callsign altogether from the log. On the latter point, however, some would argue that this option is not in the true spirit of radio communications!

For the most part, the issue of human interference is a considerable one and raises the next matter of DXpedition etiquette, or apparent lack of, frequently displayed by the DX Chaser or Chasers. Radio groups such as Delta Xray recognise the importance of high operating standards when it comes to calling DXpedition stations, for example, in their Member Guidelines…

“If we cannot hear the station or activation in a pile-up situation, we will not call...”
DX Guide, DX-RC Website

Too bad not all groups and their members uphold this same philosophy though as over-zealous calling of DXpedition stations not only has a mighty impact on log accuracy but also on allowing others to know if they have successfully made a log. Occasionally, you have double callsign entries in a log for this very reason — operators are not sure if they have made the log previously and therefore call again to ensure they are in it. Due to the occasional problem of having discourteous Freeband comrades chop the end of their QSO with a frantic call to the DXpedition station, who can blame them for wanting to know for sure that they are in the log when they get a second opportunity in better conditions?

Still on the subject of DXpedition protocol, one of the basic goals of any DXpedition party is to make as many contacts as possible in the short amount of time spent at that particular DX-stination. It goes without saying that the more contacts a DXpedition station is able to make, the more likely his or her activity is to be evaluated as a success. This is particularly so for DXpeditions to ‘Most Wanted’ DXCC entities such as St. Barthelemy Island where travel, accommodation, permits etc. all come at a high cost to the DXpedition team.

In the case of the 346 Division frivolities again, some operators in America and in Europe took offence to discussions on Cluster.dk about whether or not certain operators made the log. Surely, hobbyists seeking clarification from others who were active on the frequency at that time, nevertheless, is allowable? And so what if a DXpedition or Special Event Station, or any station for that matter, uses a ‘real-time’ forum such as Cluster dk or MSN to indicate direct to the person whether or not they have made his log. The real issue here is how lucky we are to have a forum which allows this instant communication of log status and how fortunate we are to be in a situation where disappointment further down the track (about not making a log when we thought we had done so) can be avoided.

After all, the final decision on who gets logged is the DXpedition station’s so any discussion between possible log entrants means nothing. He is the one who makes the final judgement about whether or not a callsign has been heard, about whether or not signal reports or progressive numbers have been exchanged; he is the one who has the pen and is in control of his log; just as it is not the decision of the DX Chaser or those who listen on the band to decide either.

Finally, back to the 346SA/0 activity again, and DXpeditioner Marco’s only crime here appears to be that he has bothered to respond to some of the ridiculous allegations made against parts of his activity as well as the actions of some of those who took part; just as it was our crime to put them to print and give such crap air time.

Please comment.

73 de Admin