Lists and QSLs
One of the local QRPers came by last evening . . . the same QRPer who has been bragging about his 9V1XQ QSO for weeks. "Now that I've got my 9V1XQ QSO confirmed, all the Big Guns are jealous of me. Every last one of them!", he shouted and glared at us with his beady little eyes. We were properly sympathetic and just a bit curious. "Why do you say that?", we asked cautiously. "They threw me out of the DX club meeting the other evening! The actually pushed me out the door and locked it so I couldn't get back in! And we all were just showing each other our latest QSLs. What a bunch of friends they are!" We had to pursue this a bit further for this did not seem to be in the spirit of amateur radio.
"Tell us more.", we asked. "Well, I waited my turn . . . I looked at the Kingman and Spratly and Mellish QSLs the other guys were passing around", the QRPer replied, "and I was duly impressed, for these were indeed nice catches." We were following but not really understanding. "Then it was my turn, and I started telling them about my 9V QSO on 75 meters", he continued, "and that's when they threw me out on my ear!" We were starting to understand. "They got upset because the net controller passed your entire call through, right?" The QRPer glared at us. "Do you think I'm stupid?", he shouted, "I wouldn't tell them that! Why some of those Big Guns just don't understand that the only reasonable way to work DX is on a list! No, I never mentioned that, not at all!" At this point we were sorry we had started any of this, but since we were in waist deep now, we ploughed ahead. "Why then, did they get so upset with you?", we asked. "I don't know!", the QRPer shrugged, "I was explaining how I had sent the QSL manager $20.00 to make sure I was in the log and that's when they turned on me. I can't figure them out . . . I guess they're just a bunch of jealous DXers, that's what I think!" And the QRPer trotted off down the hill, still clutching his tattered 9V card and shaking his head back and forth.
Son of a Gun! What does one say when everything has already been said? Only that there are some of the Eternal Mysteries that only a few will understand!
This story is in the public domain and may be reproduced in any format. - VE1DX
Last updated 15 December 2020