TopBand: Warning! Warning! Outbreak of QSX Disease!

[Steve Ireland]

At this time of the year, at the height of the 160m DX season, the QSX
disease is at its worst.  DX stations all over the globe QSX (listen) in
other parts of the band (particularly in the JA window), but never check
their own frequency to see who else might be copying them.

The outbreak was seen from Western Australia last night, when a JU2 station
was first heard calling QSX JA at 1155Z.  I called him, east coast W called
him, west coast W called him, VK3 called him, but still the JU2 CQed DX and
QSXed JA window for a solid hour with no apparent check of who might be
calling him on his own frequency.

At VK6 sunrise, the outbreak has worsened considerably, with 160m full of
stations all QSXing somewhere else. It was amazing, Europeans, Russians,
Asians, even an African station had caught the dreaded QSX disease.
Thankfully, Leo BV7FC, survived the onslaught and I was able to make a QSO
with him on his own frequency - the only QSO in the last 16 hours.

Let us make it a  rule of the unspoken 160m  gentle person's 'code of
conduct' to always occasionally check our own frequency if we call CQ DX and
QSX somewhere else.

Mni 73,

Steve, VK6VZ

   



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