Topband: ARRL DX: thoughts of a newbye

[Tom Rauch]

> Distance from their qth to first ocean boundary
> for the path to my qth (~6800 Km - ~4200 miles)
> CALL        Km        Miles
> K5ZD        63          40
> KC1XX      110          68
> K1KI       187         115
> KT1V        37          23
> K1TO       190         116
> WJ9B       125          78
> ----------------------------
> W3LPL      620         385
> K3LR      1390         865


160 meters is very sensitive to distance and propagation 
because every "hop" has high attenuation. I'm sure at times 
there is also bending and no real "hop" to earth and back. 
It is also very sensitive to local noise, and the size of 
the antennas. Sometimes even magic 6dB gain radials are 
used. :-)

The path, antenna size, noise floor at any moment, distance, 
and power all matter much more than higher bands.

Many different things contribute to where you might be able 
to hear or work people. This is especially true when we look 
only at a short period of time like one weekend.

This why we all have to remember we really only compete 
against ourselves, and worrying about how we compare to 
someone else hundreds or thousands of miles away does is a 
total waste of time. There was only one first DXCC on 160, 
and he is the only one anyone will still remember when we 
all die.

73 Tom