Band Slot Fatigue

What is the meaning of life? Too pretentious? How about: what is the meaning of amateur radio? Lest you imagine that this will be a sad philosophical tract and stop reading, please stay with me for a moment.

Each of us has motivations and interests that spur us to build stations, operate and relish achievements. At the top of my list are contests, DX and 6 meters. For others these might be AM, portable operating, EME, public service and much more. As the years pass, our interests change. We may abandon the hobby for a time (as I did) or we may increasingly focus on one particular interest. There is no one right way to do amateur radio, and that's one of its great strengths. There is so much to learn and do.

I began writing this article while the CQ WPX SSB contest was raging on the HF bands. I made 100 contacts, got bored and quit. Since I have a passion for contests, my disinterest may seem surprising. That is why I built and keep improving my "big gun" station. Most hams are impressed by what I've built when they come by to visit, although, truth be told, some think that mine is a pointless pursuit. They are correct, from their perspective; they have different interests and motivations.

Too much of a good thing can be bad for you. It leads to fatigue. No matter how much you love doing something, taking breaks from it can be very refreshing. The break can be a day or 20 years. There are many days that I won't even turn on the rig or monitor DX spots. I avoid the shack and do something completely different and unrelated to radio.

DXCC Challenge

When a break doesn't refresh your interest, it may be time to find another passion. This brings me to the subject of this article: pursuit of DX band slots. The idea is to work as many countries on as many bands as possible, and even for every mode. There is an award for this pursuit: the DXCC Challenge.

With 340 DXCC entities and 10 bands (160 to 6 meters), the award pinnacle is 3400. You can work them on SSB, CW or a diversity of digital modes, but you'll never work them all. With no end in sight, what exactly is the objective? It can be a lifelong project.

I have a friend who is closing in on his 2500 endorsement for the DXCC Challenge. He'll never approach those at the top of the DXCC Challenge list (over 3200), but he is passionate about getting to 2500.  He has resorted to FT8 to find DX stations in rare entities that are not active on the traditional modes. 6 meters is another option he's pursuing. He is making progress and I expect that he'll reach his goal this year. I wish him well in his quest.

After that? Quite a few have stretched the possibilities to surpass the 3000 level. How many? Hundreds! Do the arithmetic and you'll see just how difficult that is: it's just about impossible to do it on HF alone, even by dedicating decades to the pursuit. 6 meters is mandatory if you're serious about the pursuit. But it can be done. Is it worth it? I am in no position to say.

I am close to 2000 band slot confirmations on LOTW (Logbook of the World) for the DXCC Challenge award. Over my long ham career, I have hundreds more worked and confirmed on paper that I refuse to sift through. I've gotten this far without really caring about the DXCC challenge. I'll probably never apply for the award. It's interesting to track my progress, but that's all. I have even less interest in chasing grids on 6 meters. Again, it's interesting to monitor how I'm doing on the VUCC grid count. Many hams are as passionate about the VUCC award as others are for the DXCC Challenge.

The role of technology

Despite these sentiments of indifference, I do have the urge to work DXpeditions on every band they activate. I like chasing DX, so why not. Many who fish can enjoy themselves without catching any fish: drop the line into the water and soak up the sunshine. You can enjoy the chase whether or not you log the rare DX. Catch and release of fish is a little like working the DX but not confirming the contact. I'm like that.

At the other extreme are those for whom the award is all, and they will bend and break the rules of the competition to get it. Fake contacts, paid contacts, fake confirmations, excess power and more. You see it in DXing just like you see it in any competition. I won't say more on this aspect of award chasing other than to note that it exists and I don't let it poison my enjoyment of the chase. I am not competing with either the cheaters or the non-cheaters.

DXCC Challenge is to some extent a product of technology. Decades ago it would have been a Quixotic pursuit. Without the benefit of spotting networks, live streaming and real time updates, an inordinate amount of time would be needed to hunt down each DXpedition on every band slot. In many cases the propagation is so marginal the rare DX station wouldn't be able attract callers by CQing. Sometimes they will self spot to announce their presence. 

Even retirees have limited time to spend in front of the radio. Few want to spend that time slowly spinning the VFO knob across every band and at frequent intervals become the first to find the elusive DX. Sure, the pile ups can be intense when the DXpedition is spotted or an alert comes from their we site, but it eliminates the tedium of always searching.

And when you do find the rare DX by your own hard work and work them, what do you do next? In the old days you would call your friends and they could work the DX without fighting through a pile up. You can find descriptions of these techniques in the now very old but excellent book, The Complete DXer by W9KNI. DXing was not always a solo pursuit. Groups of friends would draw up a schedule of bands and times for each to monitor for that elusive and rare DX. When one of them found the DX the telephones and pagers started ringing.

With technology these small circles of friends have become far larger. It no longer matters who you know and nothing is asked of you in return. Technology gives everyone a chance for acquiring a multitude of new band slots. The competitive playing field is more level than ever. The old ways are obsolete. DX clusters are globally networked and skimmers often find CW stations before humans do.

Digital levels the competitive field further. Those with small stations can get through the pile up far better than on CW or SSB. Digital decoding algorithms don't care if you're weak or strong, and will pull you out even when you're buried beneath stronger stations. I know many little pistols thrilled by how much rare DX they can work on FT8. With their small stations they often work DXpeditions on FT8 before I do it on CW.

Technology enables everyone -- big station or small, skilled operator or merely competent -- to climb high on the DXCC Challenge ladder. Not everyone would agree that this is a good thing: it's called a challenge for a reason.

What's the point?

There are so many possible band slots that it can lead to fatigue. Just how hard do I want to chase CY0S (a recent example) on the high bands, where working them from a short distance is not easy. I did try on 6 meters, just because 6 meter DX is a special passion of mine. They did show up on CW but quickly turned to digital since it put more stations in the log. First it was FT8 and then MSK144. 

It's possible that they logged me on MSK144, but without a definite acknowledgement of my RR73 message it's impossible to say. It is profoundly unsatisfying to wait for their log upload to learn the answer. This is a question that has to be asked far less often on the traditional modes.

(Credit: ClubLog; screenshot taken March 29, 2023)

[I can now answer my own question. As of March 30 I am indeed in their log for the MSK144 contact. However, my statements above stand. I haven't bothered to update the screenshot.]

I could try again. I won't, nor will I turn on the amp and try to break through the pile up to work them on the high HF bands. Perhaps I should write this in the past tense since CY0S is about to go QRT as this article is being published on the blog. Eventually there will be other DXpeditions to Sable Island when, perhaps, I'll feel more motivated to try to fill those band slots.

Running the bands when every DXpedition pops up can become a chore rather than a pleasure. It isn't a great challenge most of the time when all I have to do is watch for a spot to appear and apply maximum power to my large antennas. Often I create a handicap for myself, to artificially boost the challenge, by leaving the amp turned off or use whatever antenna is more or less pointed in the right direction. I enjoy practicing my pile up skills. I practice related skills by occasionally operating QRP in contests.

For me the most important challenge was in designing and building this station, and then to practice and hone my operating skills. Piling up the DXCC band slots is one way to profit from my labour. I don't do it too aggressively since, for me, the fun soon fades. My band slot enthusiasm is mostly reserved for 6 and 160 meters, finding and working rare DX on difficult paths, or by skillfully threading large pile ups. The DX doesn't necessarily have to be rare. Nor do I get too disappointed when I fail to work them. There's always next time.

Meaning

The meaning of DXing, as it is with life, is up to you. It is not handed down from on high. I love chasing DX but it does not define me. I'll do a lot to bag the DX and, yes, on every band slot I can, but only up to a point. I have no interest in spending the time and effort to reach 3000 band slots for the DXCC Challenge. I don't chase any DXCC certificate. I enjoy watching the numbers increase, and that's good enough for me.

Radiosport will only grow in our hobby. Extreme DXing is one part of that, and contests are another. Participation in both is growing. Hams find meaning and enjoyment from those activities. Despite my disinterest in chasing every band slot, I would never say that others are wrong to do so. Meaning is a personal choice and I don't begrudge them their passions.

What I really need right now is spring weather and not the blustery cold and wet we've been dealing with. That would be especially meaningful. I can then spend more time outdoors working on antennas and less time writing philosophical tracts!