Figuring the numbers
As you all know from reading this blog, my main interests in Amateur Radio are QRP, CW, portable ops and DX. I don’t consider myself a hardcore DXer. I will look for it, I will work it when I hear it, but I’m not one of those guys that has the Cluster send alerts to his smartphone. I’m not one of those who will set his alarm clock for 2:00 AM just to work a new one. I will, however, bump up the power and leave QRP land to work a new one if I hear it. I did that last night.
I consider myself one notch above the “Casual DXer” level.
I was fooling around playing with Logger32 and LOG4OM. While the computer was doing its thing, I saw Easter Island and Qatar spotted on the Cluster. These were two new ones that I have never worked before. My first move was to bump up the power to 75 Watts. I’m enough of a DXer to want them in the log that I’ll try to get them in there using QRO power first and will worry about QRP later. Jumping into each pileup, I was surprised to actually work each on the first call. Qatar was a nice and clean QSO. Easter Island took a bunch of repeats, even at higher power, but I did hear my call and a “TU” at the end.
Afterwards, I got curious about how many countries I have worked. I went to Log of the World to do a bit of research. I have 165 countries confirmed via LoTW. The problem is, that I have worked a bunch of countries via Hams who don’t use LoTW. If I send out QSLs to each of these and get QSLs in return, I will have 185 countries confirmed. I am a bit “iffy” about being in the logs of one or two of those, so 183 is probably more likely.
I know that with my set up here (antenna situation, in particular) – I am not DXCC Honor Roll material. The probability that I would ever reach that level is slim and none, and slim left town. I just don’t have the antennas, or the will power to get me there – as I have said before, I am not a hardcore DXer. But, if someday at the end of my Ham career, I could have 250+ countries confirmed, I’d be a happy camper.
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP – When you care to send the very least!