Absolute Point of Reference
We were sitting on the veranda, enjoying the afternoon sun, when one of the local QRPers came wandering by, walking his dog and deep in thought. "What's up?", we asked, for this was the same QRPer who had been so concerned about the opinions of the Legion of Handwringers just a few days ago. "Well", he said, "it's nets now . . . it seems that the DX I've worked on nets is worth less than that worked on 14.195 QSX UP. That's what everyone is telling me. Why is that?"
Son of a Gun! We looked at the QRPer for a few moments and then said rather quietly, "Do you understand the special theory of relativity? And did the person who said your DX wasn't worth as much as that you found on your own understand it?" The QRPer shrugged. "Did this person have an absolute point of reference for DX purity? If 'free-hand DX' is better than Net DX, then is CW DX better than SSB DX? If so, then is one watt CW DX better than 1000 watt CW DX? Or is RTTY DX the absolute point of reference?" Again, the QRPer shrugged. "I don't know", he replied sadly, "he just said that Net DX was spoon feeding."
What more could we say? It was clear someone here was not understanding one of the Eternal Enigmas of DXing. "Look at it this way", we said, "there will always be opinions offered by those who judge others by their own standards. And because they offer these opinions, they must have a solid belief their point of DX reference is absolute." We jumped to our feet! "Find out what it is!", we shouted, "and find it out now. And when you do, tell us all the absolute reference point of DX purity! You will be the top hog in the DX stye!"
It was clear the QRPer still didn't understand, so we simply gave his dog a pat on the head as he wandered on down the hill. Son of a Gun! We had explained this so many times we were sure the QRPer could see the elephant. Apparently not. And neither could the Handwringer. Maybe elephants are harder to see than egos . . . and maybe they are not. Work the DX that IS! The Great Days of DXing are near. The signs are everywhere. Be prepared! DX IS!
This story is in the public domain and may be reproduced in any format. - VE1DX
Last updated 14 December 2020