Topband: Re: Top Band DXing Long Ago

[Dave Kennedy]

John/W1FV started a great series of old timer postings on the early days
of Top band DXing. I have been surprised at the number of real OTs who have
surfaced recently with postings. My early DXing years started in the late 30's
followed by post WW2 40's, 50's and 60's trying to keep up with W1FH at the top
of the DXCC Honor Roll. Samples from my QSL archives are FT4AN 1937 and XU6GRL 
1947 when I was W9TWC and AC4YN 1949 in Ohio where I had to start DXCC all over 
as W8BRA. After WW2 DXCC Rule 9 made moving from W9 to W8 like moving to a 
different country ("entity"). I forget when the infamous Rule 9 was eliminated but 
the same thing happened again in 1966 when AT&T transferred me from Cincinnati to 
Chicago and I became a new $20 2X1 call holder, W9DL. Now I feel like the last of 
the Mohicans. I wonder if there are any other pre WW2 DXers still out there 
reading these postings. The three awards I am most proud of are, in order, 160M 
DXCC 295 cfmd, 160M WAZ and Satellite WAZ. WAZ at both ends of the spectrum.   

Serious DXing on 160, the LAST DX Frontier, did not begin here until about 1981 
after retiring and moving to NC as N4SU during the Loran days. I have several of
Stew Perry's 160 Meter DX Bulletins with extra hand written notes on them. One
is dated May 1, 1981. I wonder if any one has the whole collection he started 
in 1932.

I started  keeping a list of the earliest 160 DXCC certificate holders about
twenty years ago, stopped keeping track after the first 200 or so. Starting with
#1 they are: #1. W1BB  2. W1HT 3. W8LRL 4. Kv4FZ 5. K1PBW 6. W4BRB(W4OO)
7. W2QD 8. W2DEO 9. W4QCW(W4DR) 10. W4YWX(N4PN) 11. K4CIA 12. W9NFC(W2EQS) 
13. N4JJ 14. PY1RO 15. N4EA...... After a lot of years on the HF bands where 
working DX is like shooting fish in a barrel I finally got 160 DXCC certificate 
#32 in December 1983. I can provide more calls up to #210 if there is any interest. 
My earliest JA's cfmd were in Dec. 1981: JA1MCU, JA2GQO, JA2MGE, JA3ONB, JR1CFG.
Now have a 2 inch stack, many dupes. Some JA's send a card for every contact. 

Am sad to report my own 160 Dxing days are probably over, stuck at 295 cfmd with
the ST0RY QSL received. 2003 was a bad year. Along with other problems have
developed a palsy like hand tremor which puts me out of business on CW. Have
started some medication hoping for a cure. Time will tell. Getting old sucks.
Hearty congrats to the guys who finally made 300. I remember Wal W8LRL was the
first to make 200 long before 300 was ever dreamed of.  

Am still using the home brew WW2 surplus PP 304TLs on 160 CW, single 304TL with 
plug in coils on the other bands.
 
Please keep those OT yarns coming. Fascinating reading! 

73, Dave, N4SU