Gary writes: >>> As you may have guessed, I was not out to log India or
Sri Lanka at Grayland, hi. I live only about 2 hours from the ocean, and
in comparison to my home environment, Grayland provides an extra edge in DX
propagation. The total cost of my trip was $95, including motel, meals and
gasoline. So my perspective is surely different from a DXer who must
spend around $1500 for a rare chance to chase DX on the ocean coast.>>>
* I spent a fortune on airfare, bed & breakfast place (where we Dxed) plus
incidentals, at Cappahayden NL last fall, but 'twas worth every penny. It
was my first time, so I in fact did want to log anything and everything. But
in future visits I will be narrowing my scope for stuff that's new. To be
honest, I'm enerally only interested in new catches, or DX that is clearly
unusual. Run of the mill stuff, whether received on a 'big rig' or a ULR
doesn't really do much for me, though I do appreciate the relative challenge
a ULR presents. That said, my interest in testing limits does extend to a
curiosity as to how decent my catches can be on a UL such as the SRF59 or
the Prison Radio. The whole notion of using these tiny, cheap things strikes
me as a riot! The transparen prison radio ... that's about the funniest
thing I've seen in this hobby, and amazingly I've had some stations I very
rarely hear on the larger rig. (I use a sangean ats909 portable, I have
never made the move to a truly high-end rig, though I have used a Drake at
NL and tried Niel's AOR7030 at Burnt River a few times. I'll be getting a
proper rig if I do go back to Nfld.
The experimenting you describe below sounds awesome. I've been following
this as commentary is posted. A agree with what you post below, and add ne
thought - what a wonderful way to ntroduce people to the hobby. can use them
pretty well anywhere, including a city, and they're cheap cheap cheap. These
ae one of a handful of things that we need to happen to keep this hobby
alive, and the effort gone into this by you - with your mods - and by all of
you, really - is, well, awesome..
Saul
This test DXpedition was basically a chance to find out whether my
hot-rodded ULR's (with 6.25" antenna transplants) could be serious
performers in a true DXing environment, and whether the greatly increased
sensitivity would make a real difference in DX capability. After
thrilling DX all night long, they proved they were equal to the task,
providing sensitivity at least to the level of a fully-aligned ICF-2010,
and possibly exceeding it.
An Ultralight DXpedition obviously is not going to deploy the latest
state-of-the-art spectrum-recording equipment with multiple narrow filters
and
mega-antennas... it's just an entirely different way of having DX fun.
The DXing challenge is greater, and the rewards in excitement and
accomplishment are greater. The goal of "maximum rare DX" shifts to a
goal of "maximum
DX fun and excitement." The Grayland Motel provided me with a nice
comfortable bed, but it went unused most of the time. I was too busy
having
thrilling DX fun all night long, amazed at what these tiny receivers
could do in a
serious DXing environment. On this evening of modest propagation, my two
biggest catches (China-963 and North Korea-653) were ultra-thrilling,
although a
traditional DXpeditioner using thousands of dollars of equipment would
probably be bored with them. It all depends on your goals, and the
challenge level
involved. When you chase DX with minimal equipment, you have maximal
excitement when successful.
The Ultralight DXing phenomena is all very new, and Ultralight
DXpeditions are the newest idea in this new DXing craze. We still don't
know how
this new AM-DXing option will ultimately influence the hobby, but it can
never
be everything to everybody. My own opinion, Saul, is that it provides a
new
DXing option where the objective becomes DXing fun and excitement, rather
than
an expensive competition for rare DX.
73, Gary.
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