Small Pile Ups

Many hams have noted that activity on the bands changed as the pandemic continued and lock downs came in waves in countries around the world. My own antenna plans were altered in the spring when it became impossible to bring a crew together. Eventually we did resume but the lost time could not be recovered. Work on my new antennas has extended into the cold of late autumn.

Travel restrictions put a brake on almost all DXpeditions. By mid-spring there were almost no new countries to be had by ardent DXers. That seemed to bring a lull to the HF bands that is unusual. Ordinary person-to-person QSOs continued as before, for the most part, so that non-DXers didn't see much that was different. For non-DXers it was an opportunity to be more active, on the air or concentrating on projects indoors.

Despite the increased leisure time there has been a psychological toll. We have the time but we may not have the same degree of motivation. With the worries over family, income and life as we've known it we haven't used the time as productively as we might. I noticed a similar effect after I retired: I have all the time in the world, which removes urgency and often causes a loss of focus on doing things now. An external spur is needed, whether it be an upcoming contest or a DXpedition to finish antenna projects.

The lack of DXpeditions removed a major spur. Outside of the summer sporadic E season on 6 meters my own on-air activity has lagged. Summer is also the low season for major contests. I did what I could on the ground to progress antenna projects but for the most part my attention was diverted to other pursuits.

When several DXpeditions appeared in recent weeks I was surprised at the small the pile ups. You would think that after months of no rare DX the pile ups would be fierce. Lethargy does not evaporate instantly. For a time I could get through the pile ups very quickly running low power since there was little competition. 

The small pile ups are becoming bigger as DXers are drawn back to the shack. There is a stark change between the number of callers to 7Q6M than to the more recent 7Q7RU DXpedition. The first was easy to work and the latter more difficult. The pile ups are quite a bit bigger and the competition more fierce. That and their QRN made working them on 80 and 160 a challenge.

Although DX chasing has been subdued this year it has not been difficult for me to drum up activity with just a CQ. With cycle 25 beginning to flex its muscles I find it quite easy to draw a lot of callers on 15 meters even without high power. Contests have also seen plenty of action. Contest organizers have noticed a sharp year over year increase in entries. Small contests have also been the beneficiaries.

Clearly there are things that will spur activity and overcome our pandemic lethargy. Perhaps it's the novelty of a higher MUF, the lure of contest competition or DX on 6 meters. Whatever it is I am enjoying the activity when it occurs. After all, what's the point of building all these towers and antennas if I can't put them to good use? So I get on when I can. 

Soon I'll have more time to operate. The weather is turning cold and the year's antenna projects are coming to an end, and mostly to a successful end. With the end of the pandemic in sight we should enjoy the winter season and the coming major contests. DXpeditions will not be common until well into 2021 so jump in and pursue the ones that do appear during the interim.

A little luck with the weather in the coming days should see me well equipped for CQ WW CW next weekend. The new 15 and 20 meter stacks should be largely operational and the new 160 meter antenna appears to be working very well. 

Helped by new sunspots expect the largest turnout ever for this major contest. Let's see some big pile ups on the DX that is able to get on and pursue those points, multipliers and, for the casual contester, new band-countries. It should be a lot of fun. It'll also help us to shake free of the pandemic blues.