1. posterid:385689
  2. 5B DXCC and WAS Medallions

Re: 5B DXCC and WAS Medallions

Gordon Beattie, W2TTT
 

Hi Folks!
The geopolitical element of entity availability is somewhat arbitrary, but it is an understood part of thre game.  Personally if I was interested in DXCC, I would pursue a 100 on more bands as that provides a more non-geopolitically-driven challenge especially as you get to 5BDXCC and beyond.  Ask anyone with DXCC on 160m, 6m, 2m or 70cm how hard it was!  Building a station for different bands and LEARNING  the propagation characteristics of each one is a huge challenge that has to be relearned for each band.  It's quite an accomplishment!

Of course the top of the DXCC Honor Roll is like Everest in that two governments DO decide when Everest is closed to climbing.   Climbing all the High Peaks in New York's Adirondack Mountains is more like working grid squares or ITU or CQ Zones, but since some of the High Peaks are on private land, there are times when access is limited. Local politics sometimes do enter into the availability calculus in the game.

There's no right or wrong here, but beyond 100, the game gets less technical and more of a demonstration of skill over time.  This is essentially an old-timer's game.  As long as one's ranking is based on entities that no longer exist (e.g. Czechoslovakia) this will be a "long game".

73,
Gordon Beattie, W2TTT 
201.314.6964 

From: ARRL-Awards@... <ARRL-Awards@...> on behalf of bmanning <bmanning@...>
Sent: Tuesday, June 1, 2021 10:11:02 PM
To: ARRL-Awards@... <ARRL-Awards@...>
Subject: Re: [ARRL-Awards] 5B DXCC and WAS Medallions
 
Gary
Well said. But what if the government that controls Mount Everest put up a no trespass sign, and stayed there for several generations? The DXCC rules are good as they are. But at least Mount Everest is still available. You and definitely me, are never going to climb it, but it's still open.
73
 Bruce NJ3K 



Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone


-------- Original message --------
From: Jim Preston N6VH <N6VH@...>
Date: 6/1/21 17:18 (GMT-05:00)
To: ARRL-Awards@...
Subject: Re: [ARRL-Awards] 5B DXCC and WAS Medallions

Gary,

That is an excellent analogy. Well said.

73,

Jim N6VH

On 6/1/2021 12:19 PM, Gary Hinson wrote:

Hi Bruce,

 

Yes some DXCC rules have changed a little over the years but, fundamentally, the award remains as it was originally conceived.  It’s a progressive scheme.  The first 100 countries are relatively easy to work, a gentle introduction to hook entrants … then it gets progressively harder … until the final assault takes a monumental effort.  That’s by design: it’s deliberately challenging.  It is meant to get harder.

 

Most of us could manage a leisurely stroll on the foothills of Mount Everest, gazing up in awe at the peaks above.  Some are inspired to make it up as far as base camp.  Few get much beyond that, and very few go all the way to the top at ~29,000 feet.  It wouldn’t be such an awesome feat if there was a road to the top, or if the top few thousand feet were levelled, or if 20,000 feet was declared “the top”  by those who can’t cope with the lack of oxygen, intense cold and mortal danger ahead.

 

I would love to think I could climb Everest but I know I never will.  That doesn’t stop me encouraging, admiring and congratulating those who do.  I’ll have to settle for their accounts from the top of the world.

 

73

Gary  ZL2iFB
Join {ARRL-Awards@groups.arrl.org to automatically receive all group messages.