Appreciate What You Get

I was motivated to say a few words about the ongoing FT8WW operation on Crozet Island by conversations with fellow hams and what others have written in public fora. There is a diversity of perspectives on this most unusual of DXpeditions. I am surprised and not surprised, sometimes in strong agreement and sometimes in strong disagreement with the discourse. It is worth a moment's reflection.

Back in the days of yore, so to speak, working rare DX was a rare treat. Communications of the DXpeditioners' plans and progress was often long arriving and incomplete or contradictory. Just figuring out when and where to listen could be an enormous challenge. Some of the one-man operations had no pile ups at all! They engaged in S & P and if you called CQ DX you might be in for a surprise. I know several old timers who worked P5 that way.

The objective was to get the DX in the log, on any band or mode, and that was it. You could put a check mark next to that entity and start hunting or waiting for the next one to appear on the bands. A smaller number would try to work them on both CW and SSB, or on a band that was a particular focus of theirs. Others worked the DX on the same band and mode multiple times as a way of bragging about their big signal. The DX often couldn't tell because computer logging was as yet unknown.

In many respects the Crozet Island DXpedition is a bit of a throwback. There is just one man, Thierry F6CUK, operating from a remote corner of the world and trying to sate the appetites of DXers worldwide. It's quite the challenge for him and for us. His challenges include:

• Restricted antennas: low wires only are permitted
  
• Restricted operating hours: enforced quiet hours to protect the work of the science team
• Weather: winds in excess of 100 kph occur almost daily, and antennas are difficult to keep up
• Restricted duration: total operating time of several weeks, yet his stay is months long
  

He is doing his best under trying conditions. That "best" includes getting into as many logs as possible for that highly valued ATNO (all time new one). FT8 gets the job done since it puts everyone in a more equitable position, giving those with a small station a better chance than in the CW and SSB pile ups. Rate is achieved using MSHV to run 2 or 3 concurrent QSOs.

I used to enjoy battling it out with the big guns in the pile ups with the small station I returned to the hobby with 10 years ago. That isn't for everyone, and I understand that. Another factor is that many hams in this era of no-code licensing no longer know CW, and SSB is less friendly to small stations. Despite my limited interest in the digital modes (6 meters most notably) I have to concede that he's doing the right thing.

I could not be certain when or for how long he would operate CW, which is how I wanted to work him. For insurance I made the effort to work him on both 20 and 30 meters FT8. I now have a lifetime total of 3 digital QSOs on the HF bands! Compare this to several thousand digital QSOs I've racked up on 6 meters and a few hundred on 160 meters.

Since those FT8 contacts I've worked him on 20 meters CW. I hope to eventually work him on other bands using CW or SSB. I can only wait to see what he does.

One thing his limited operating has encouraged is pirates. Where there's demand, someone will step up to supply that demand, or so economic theory tells us. In this case, it's like searching the internet for a good deal on a brand name item and then spending your money on what turns out to be a low quality knockoff. Or they take the money and run. DX pirates don't profit but they seem to enjoy playing jokes on the unwary.

In this modern era of DXing where large, well-financed teams put big signals on all bands and modes this DXpedition to Crozet is unusual. Yet it used to be the norm decades ago. You wait, worry, and commiserate with friends as all of you scour the bands, hoping to have that one shot at a new one. This is anathema to many DXers today. They want to work DXpeditions on every conceivable band and mode, and are more than ready to complain loudly when they don't get what they want. The anti-digital clique is particularly vociferous.

It is both disheartening and amusing. The complaints are not fair to Thierry and I hope they don't diminish his enjoyment of activating this rare entity. For myself, well, I laugh at the entitlement on display. The naysayers don't seem to realize how childish they sound. Life isn't fair and you don't always get what you want. The Rolling Stones put it to song many years ago:

"You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime you find
You get what you need"

In other words, if you're among the dissatisfied, stop complaining and appreciate what you get. No one owes anyone an ATNO. Work Thierry however you can, and thank him for the QSO. 

Perhaps if the French authorities are encouraged by an operation that is respectful and doesn't disrupt their activities on Crozet we will, in time, see more operations like this or bigger on Crozet and also Kerguelen. That would be wonderful. 

In the meantime, happy hunting and I'll hopefully see you in the pile ups for the upcoming Bouvet Island DXpedition. I worked Bouvet a long time ago but there has been no activity since my return to the hobby 10 years ago. This is one where we very likely can get what we want. Best of luck to them and to us!