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ABOUT DX'ing
DX, stands for Distant Station. DX'ing is simply
when you contact stations outside your own country. (referring to HF bands) However, on VHF / UHF, DX'ing is a
bit more local. (about 50 - 500+ miles) Most people who have an interest in DX'ing collect QSL cards. QSL
cards are a contact confirmation card. Some are sent by mail, while others are electronicly generated. eQSL cards
can be done by "Logbook of the World," or "eQSL.cc". QSL cards are what is used for credit towards awards. Several
of these awards are "DXCC, WAS, and WAC." The most famous is the DXCC or Distant Station Century Club. This means
you collected QSL cards of more than 100 countries you made contacts with. WAS is "Worked All States," and are for those
who worked all 50 states in the US. There are several other awards, and are commonly reffered to as "wallpaper."
ABOUT CONTESTING
Contesting is sponcered by different Amateur Radio
clubs. Here, you follow the rules of the club, for time, days, sent and received exchanges, and how to turn-in your
contest logs. This is fast paced, and one of the exciting parts of Ham Radio. There are 2 common statagies.
One is running; where you call CQ, and others answer. You stay in one spot, and have people come to you. The second
is Pouncing; here you chase those calling CQ. In most contests, you will use both methods. One thing to keep in
mind is to avoid duplicate contacts also known as "Dupes." Many hams use a logging program to keep track, and can automaticly
checks for dupes. A nice side-effect is contests, can also help earn credit towards other awards.
Mix W
Log Programs
ARRL contest corral
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