A Shorthand Introduction to an Epidemic Form of Madness

For your navigation:

DX Objectives           DXToolbox1: Things you should be familiar with         DXToolbox2: The DX Stage

DXToolbox3: The DX-Quickie         DXToolbox4: Keeping A Record        DXToolbox5: Joys and Sorrow

You know what DX is - are you sure?

No doubt, DX is much more than its definition can tell you. Moreover, it's not even easy to find a definition for what we really mean when talking about DX. Originally, "DX" stands for "distance spanned by a radio contact". But what is the distance? How far must a station be apart before we may consider it as “DX”? 5, 50, 500, 5,000 kilometres - even more? When I told a UA6-station, who answered my CQ-DX call on 14 MHz, that he was no DX, he replied that he had answered a station outside his country, this being "DX". I must admit,  I'd have been extremely happy if a UA6 would have answered my CQ DX on 144(!) MHz - but on 14 MHz?

My elmer once told me that everything outside my continent was DX - a very clear and selective definition, wasn't it? But how will a station from Cyprus react when his/her CQ DX is answered by - let's say - a Greek station?  And is a radio amateur on the arctic island of Franz-Josef-Land no DX for somebody transmitting from the Island of Malta, but DX for somebody operating from Libya? In short: the parameters of being DX are  (a) continent  and  (b) distance, the latter roughly dependent on the frequency used. For shortwave contacts (3.5 - 30 MHz), here is my personal rule of thumb of what should be considered DX (at least from a European point of view):

For very obvious reasons, on VHF and UHF belonging to a continent is not that much  important. A distance of more than 800 kilometres (500 miles) should be considered DX on VHF,  more than 600 kilometres on UHF. It's nothing like a rule of thumb - take it as that! 

DX objectives

Another aspect comes into play when we are talking about DX objectives. There are DXers who work DX at random, with the only aim to contact as many far-away stations as possible, no matter how very far away they are and what territories, countries, islands these stations represent. In most cases, however, DXers have decided to pursue a more systematic plan: they are hunting for DX awards and try to systematically collect  different countries or territories, with the final aim of "having worked them all". "Having worked them all" means: having contacted (and confirmed by QSL card) all countries and territories - "entities" as the ARRL calls them - of the so-called DXCC List. As most DXers follow this line, they enter into competition with each other. For them, everything they still need for their DXCC simply is "DX".

We are talking about the DX Century Club (DXCC) Program, issued as early as 1935 by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). There are 18 different DXCC-awards,  crowned by the DXCC Honor Roll, perhaps the most-yearned-for trophy in amateur radio. Contacting the 100 (of 338 listed) DXCC entities, which you need for the basic award (see picture), does not seem to be extremely difficult. Even a not too experienced operator, a DX newbie, with a modest station setup (100 watts output, dipole or vertical antenna) can easily make it within one or two weeks. "Worked 'em all" (which takes for granted that all QSOs are verified by a QSL card), however, is more or less a life-task, and most DXers never reach this goal. The main reason is, that a lot of DXCC-entities are not permanently represented by radio amateurs, because there are no human settlements possible on them (secluded reefs or small islands like Scarborough Reef,  BS7, or Peter Island, 3Y), or where amateur radio is simply forbidden or impossible (as in North Korea, P5, or the Yemen, 7O). Entities of that sort are the preferred target of so-called DXpeditions, with teams of operators who peacefully invade the "rare spot" for a couple of weeks to make some 80,000 contacts or more in most radio modes and on all frequency bands with, hopefully, everybody who "needs" this geographic entity. An adrenalin festival for both parties, the DXpeditionists and the masses of hams calling, fighting, and finally contacting them (hopefully...) for an ultra-short message: callsign, reports, confirmation. Not more than a matter of seconds. Next one please! The resulting pile-ups, that is the clusters of stations permanently calling the rare DX, belong to one of the madnesses and - maybe - seamy side of amateur radio; it's a real shame how many DXers seem to lose their heads -  their fairness, sportsmanship, and good manners! - until after a couple of days the great storm is over and life is back to normal.

Two other famous DX-awards are issued by the American CQ Magazine: the CQ DX Award (CQDXA) and the Worked All Zones (WAZ) Award. The CQ DX Award resembles very much the DXCC: 100 countries or entities to work for the basic award using the same ARRL DXCC List, with one exception: Since 17th February 2008 the Kosovo (YU8) is a new one for the CQ DX Award, but not for DXCC. There are a few further differences. Unlike DXCC, deleted countries (entities not in the list anymore, e. g. German Democratic Republic, Y2) do not count at all. There are honour rolls for CW, RTTY, and SSB (not for the MIXED mode) for which one qualifies with at least  275 entities confirmed. It's a matter of taste (and financial investment) for which award you decide. Read the rules of both awards carefully, and make your own choice.

The Worked All Zones (WAZ) award refers to the 40 zones in which the CQ Magazine has divided the world. The award is issued for having worked and confirmed all zones, but there are endorsements, as with all other mentioned awards, if you fulfill the rules of the WAZ in a special mode, on one and the same frequency band,  or on each of the five standard frequency bands. Some zones are rather difficult to reach, especially on certain frequency bands.

Brand-new in the series of CQ awards is The CQ DX Field Award: 50 or more grid fields of the Maidenhead Grid Locator System (AA through RR) have to be worked for the basic award, and there are several endorsements available. Working 50 grids sounds easy - and maybe it is not that much difficult - but remember that many of the 324 grids are completely water... I think the CQ DX Field Award is another great challenge for every DXer

Another awards program having become very popular among DXers is the Islands On The Air (IOTA) program of the Radio Society Great Britain (RSGB). They offer 21(!) separate certificates and two "prestigious awards for high achievement", as the handbook states. Have a look at the impressive handbook yourself. It's a lot of fun to work as many of the islands or island groups listed, although you probably need more than a lifetime to contact them all. The basic award is issued for having worked and confirmed 100 island groups, followed by certificates for 200, 300, etc. until 1,000, and there are  specific continent-oriented versions of the award (IOTA Africa, Antarctica, etc.), where you have to contact 75% of the island groups listed for that continent.

 

For my German DX friends — Für meine deutschen DX-Freunde Immer im Bilde beim IOTA Award? Probieren Sie doch mal das  von DJ2PJ Die einfache EXCEL-Hilfe zur Verwaltung Ihrer IOTA-Erfolge Alles was Sie haben müssen: die deutsche Version von MICROSOFT EXCEL Klicken Sie auf das IOTAShuttle-Logo! Thanks to Gary, G7USC, who kindly verified the following: DXShuttle and IOTAShuttle can also be run with non-German versions of MICROSOFT EXCEL. There are comprehensive handbooks for both applications available in German, but, for the time being, not in English. Click on the IOTAShuttle Logo for a download!

Forgive me for not mentioning the many other fascinating DX-awards. There are virtually thousands of them, and to describe them all would simply be beyond the scope of this website. Have a look into Ted Melinosky's The K1BV DX Awards Directory which - believe it or not - contains more than 3,300 different awards and diplomas from 119 countries. Another madness, but a friendly and a challenging one!

Knowledge, Tactics, and Tools...

Now, what are the prerequisites of becoming a successful DXer? No, it's not that much as you'd suppose a super-station with top-quality transceivers and linear amplifiers, multi-element directive antennas at a giddy height, and the like. A setup like that will no doubt provide you with a good and maybe outstanding signal everywhere in the world, and this certainly is an ideal basis for hunting the DX, but working rare DX-stations requires much more than efficient station hardware. It is, first of all, the operation/the operator, not the station, that wins the battle. So, again, what are the prerequisites of becoming a successful DX-operator? Have a look into MinkaTheDX-Cat's, five DX-toolboxes which should make DX-life easier for you.

 

Things you should be familiar with Callsign Allocations - Frequency Allocations - Beam Headings - Propagation

How would you judge a language translator who is forced to look up in the dictionary every two words of his text, because he is simply not  familiar enough with the vocabulary of the foreign language? The same applies to a DXer who does not know his basic tools, the DX vocabulary.

Callsign Allocations. One of these tools or prerequisites is disposing of a (near-)perfect knowledge, preferably by heart (!), as to which prefix (the first part of a callsign: e. g. "W4" in "W4BPD") - and sometimes also suffix (the second part of a callsign:  e. g. "XO" in "FT5XO") - stands for a certain country or DX-entity. An experienced and serious DXer rarely needs a book or a list or a logging program to tell which country, region etc. the callsigns belong to. There are only a relatively few cases where the callsign of a station does not give a clue as to where it is located (example: if you hear E51GGT, you cannot say from its callsign whether he is in North Cook or South Cook, which are different DXCC-entities). To make yourself familiar with the world of prefixes and suffixes, browse through the appropriate websites (see the Look-it-up-in-the-WEB box below).

Frequency Allocations. You will remember: knowing the frequency allocations of the amateur-radio service has been part of your licence examination. Radio amateurs should know rather precisely where they are allowed to communicate in a certain mode. In reality, however, things turn out to be a bit more complicated. The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) has divided the world into three regions: (Region I) Europe, Africa, the former USSR countries, Middle East (excluding Iran) and Mongolia, (Region II) North, Central and South America including Hawaii, Johnston and Midway Islands, and (Region III) the rest of Asia and Oceania. These regions felt obliged to define their own bandplans, on the basis of the worldwide general frequency allocations of the International Telecommunication Union  (ITU) in Geneva. These bandplans are as a rule supplemented by special national regulations. For your daily DX-work see the band-plan publications of the IARU and of your national radio organization (see the Look-it-up-in-the-WEB box below).

Beam Headings - the paths to the DX locations you have to point your directive antenna for maximum gain - are another example of what a serious DXer should know by heart, at least with an accuracy of, say,  +/-10°.  (It goes without saying, that beam headings do not play any role if you use non- or omnidirectional antennas.) Beam headings (in degrees) to a spot you want to contact depend on where you are located and have to be calculated or taken from an azimuthal map. Some antenna rotators have an azimuthal map integrated in their indicator/control units, which is fine if you know where the location of your DX exactly is. If this is not the case, the superb DX-Atlas mentioned above is a better tool.

On the website of the famous New Jersey DX Association (NJDXA) you can even have your personal list with beam headings for the short (SP) and the long path (LP), and a lot more information calculated and then printed for your daily use.

Even if you do not want to become an expert in spherical geometry, you should know that the wave your antenna radiates, with certain very specific exceptions, follows the so-called great circle around the earth which leads through your location and that of your QSO-counterpart. Communication from one to the other location is possible in two directions ("headings"): one which results in a relatively short distance - therefore called short path (SP) - the other one in a relatively long distance - called long path (LP). As the LP-direction is the opposite heading, it is easily calculated by just adding 180 degrees to the SP-direction (LP=SP+180). Long-path propagation is not always possible but, if it is, sometimes considerably better than short-path propagation - depending on the state of the ionosphere. You can find out by trial and error, and by relying on a (hopefully: long!) experience, but - very reliably so - by using one of the propagation-forecast programs (see below).

Propagation. At least for long-haul DX, propagation plays an enormous, if not a decisive role. Before you start your DX-session, you should inform yourself how DX-conditions look like:  What is the status of the solar flux (SFI) or relative sunspot number (R)? What do the A- and K-indices look like? If you are making use of a so-called DX-cluster (see Toolbox 2), this information will be delivered automatically and in regular intervals by WWV and/or WCY. As a rule of thumb an A-index >25 and/or K-index of >4 indicate bad or less-than-average DX-conditions on most shortwave frequencies.

A perfect propagation indicator is offered by the International Beacon Project of  the Northern California DX Foundation (NCDXF). They have 18 beacons installed in nearly every corner of the world, each of which transmits successively with 100 watts, 10 watts, 1 watt, and 1 milliwatt  after a precise timetable on 14100, 18110, 21150, 24930, and 28200 kHz. The beacons use non-directional antennas; so you have a good estimate how strong your signal will at least be in the region of the beacon. The only disadvantage, maybe: the beacons are transmitting in telegraphy... Good to have learned the code... 

If you intend to make sort of an exact multiband-prediction for a forthcoming DXpedition you would like to contact or make yourself, you better use one of the PC propagation calculators, the probably best one being the fantastic W6ELProp by W6EL. Have a look at the frequency map delivered by that program for a certain date, a certain time, a solar flux of 85 (number of sunspots: 25), and a K-index of 2 at DJ2PJ:

And that's how propagation is influenced by the sun and ionospheric conditions at the moment you are reading this:

Solar X-rays: Geomagnetic Field:

For further information, click on one of the right-hand fields of the table.

By courtesy of:   N3KL

For the Northern Hemisphere near real-time auroral conditions, click here!

For the Southern Hemisphere near real-time auroral conditions, click here!

    Back to the TOP           DXToolbox3: The DX Quickie       DXToolbox4: Keeping A Record 

                                                      DXToolbox5: Joys and Sorrows

It is as simple as this: the better informed you are, the more efficient your DX efforts will be. Try to know precisely what's on the DX stage today, get to know what's on it tomorrow and after tomorrow. On the basis of this knowledge, make your very personal plan, your personal calendar, for working the DX you "need": a new DX-entity, a new IOTA-group, a new zone: on this or that frequency band, in this or that mode.

Informing yourself with the help of  the good old DX corners in monthly radio amateur magazines might be  helpful and good as a first step, but their degree of actuality can by no means compete with other, more up-to-date and more flexible information channels which you can readily tap nowadays: e-mail information, the Internet, and so-called DX clusters. The more sources you make use of, the better and the more thoroughly you will be in the picture.

E-mail information ("reflectors"). Subscribing to DX newsletters are in no case a new invention; DXers had always felt the need for undelayed, up-to-date information. New is how the news reach you today. It is electronic mail that provides the possibility to spread DX news within seconds or minutes.

The e-mail publication which is by far the most actual, is Bernie McClennie's (W3UR) Daily DX which, as the title proclaims, is issued daily (except on Saturdays/Sundays). Beside comprehensive DX- and IOTA-news, it contains QSN-reports (reports on DX-stations worked quite recently with times and frequencies and other necessary information), a DX-forecast in the form of a DX calendar, QSL-information for DX-stations on the air, and a very useful propagation forecast.

This is nearly all a DXer would need to become a super-informed insider, but you should show some understanding that subscribing to a publication like that, which swallows the working capacity of a man, cannot be provided free of charge (it's a bit astonishing - I cannot help saying this - that the majority of radio amateurs are ready to invest a lot of money into hardware like transceivers and antennas, but turn out to be real skinflints when confronted with relatively minor expenses for written material and all sorts of PC software...).

If you feel you are not dependant on daily information, there are a lot of other very good and comprehensive DX newsletters which, if you subscribe, will be e-mailed to you every week, like the famous and very reliable 425 DX News edited by Italian DXers,  available in English, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Russian. The 425DX-people offer a fantastic website which is a rich source per se of information on the past, present, and forthcoming DX scene.

Another very good source of DX information similar to the 425 DX News is the Ohio-Pennsylvania DX Bulletin (OPDX) which also comes as a weekly publication. Others are: the German DARC DX Newsletter  (DXNL) which is in English, too, the ARRL DX News, the DX News of the North Jersey DX Association (NJDXA), and Carl Smith's, N4AA, The QRZ DX Weekly Newsletter which can also be delivered by snail mail if you want. All these publications are free of charge, except the last one.

You can subscribe to all of them, but be aware that they contain more or less the same core of information. Instead of subscribing to all of them singularly, you may register to Pete's DX Newsdesk. "Pete" - that's Peter G. Rayer, an English amateur receiving station (G13038) - "posts" as he says, "a steady stream of DX newsheets, plus ISWL, WAB, SOTA, IOTA, FISTS, ARRL, DXCC, ICPO, expedition, propagation and QSL news from all around the world".

Internet. Major DXpeditions will  announce and in exhaustive detail describe their activities on a website of their own, the clickable URL of which you will very probably find in one of the DX newssheets. Make a bookmark of their webpage before they are on the air. This will keep you informed at first hand until the DXpeditionists have left the rare spot. In any case, have a regular look on NG3K's webpages which belong to the most important URLs I know for DXers and contesters. Bill Feidt, NG3K, offers a special site for announcing DXpeditions which you can use as your perpetual DX calendar. The page is not only nice to look at, but also well-cared-for and absolutely reliable. NG3K's page is not the only one on actual DXpeditions.

Another very informative website is Marek's (DH9SB's) Weekly DX-Calendar (including a monthly overview) which, if you are looking for something special, provides a search by DXCC, continent, and date. With a click on the DXpedition's callsign you even retrieve the latest DXCluster spots for them. Really fantastic! It's worth to  bookmark this page on your PC screen!

You can also read or download some of the above-mentioned DX newssheets there (in case you have not made a subscription), and you can make use of a lot of additional DX-related information. The bookmark for NG3K's pages should have a prominent place on your desktop! The same goes for the late AC6V's webpages which, if not one of the first addresses as a DX dictionary, are a cornucopia of DX information. If in trouble or in doubt - try AC6V as a starter, and click yourself through the information jungle!

DX Clusters. It all began in the late eighties when Dick Newell, AK1A, developed the so-called PacketCluster software to enable radio amateurs to exchange DX information via the packet radio net on UHF. One station using this software is linked to other stations using the same software. They are so-called nodes which form a cluster, and clusters can connect other clusters, which then form an extensive network.

DXers who are connected to a cluster acquire the benefit of DX spots (callsign of the DX-station, frequency, additional information) other connected stations have "spotted". Connected stations can also send spots and announcements, talk and mail messages, and they have an easy access to data in databases, e. g. QSL addresses etc. Users of the system can set personal filters to avoid information they do not need or desire, even set an (acoustic) alarm for a particular DXCC entity. The commands, mostly dx-,  announce-, show- and set-commands, if not sent out automatically, are quite easy to learn, so that this system seems to be a must for every serious DX amateur.

But, as most things in this world nice-looking at first sight, the DX-cluster system also suffers considerable disadvantages. Above all: While searching for DX, you should never wholly rely on DX-cluster spots or announcements. When making your own regular band observations, you will come across and work rare DX stations BEFORE they are spotted and BEFORE even the DX greenhorns "join" the pile-up. "You hear and work them before the lower class is on frequency", as a prominent DX-friend put it. DX clusters can represent both: blessing and pest! They should be seen with a certain critical distance.

In the meantime, sufficient cluster software has been developed, like ARCluster, CC Cluster, CLX (only for the LINUX operating system), DxNet, and DXSpider. In addition, the TELNET system, an Internet-protocol of its own, can be applied to access one of the many DX clusters. I'd very much recommend you to use TELNET if you are connected to the Internet anyway and have no UHF-station at hand or generally have no intention to work on 435 MHz. The only thing you have to do, is installing one of the TELNET-programs available - maybe, as a first step, the TELNET program which belongs to WINDOWS (look for telnet.exe). As this software is not really made for amateur radio purposes and a bit too "frugal" and uncomfortable as to be used for  half-a-lifetime, look out for the TELNET cluster software specially developed by and for hams, as there are DXTelnet (1) by Fabrizio Sartoni, RXCLUS (2) by Robert Chalmas, HB9BZA, and the ARCluster/DXSpider User Program (3) by Lee Sawkins, VE7CC (see screen shot below). I myself prefer Lee's fascinating program (3), but this might be a matter of taste. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages; decide yourself by testing the different programs for a while. All except (1) are free of charge and can be downloaded at the sites shown in the Look-it-up-in-the-WEB box below. 

Fans of the more exotic modes like OLIVIA, DOMINO, CHIP, HELL etc.  should - at least in addition - try  W6RK's special digimodes (DX) cluster  that allows you to announce your own CQs, not to forget the new PSKReporter, although it is quite different from the tools mentioned before and not chiefly DX-specific.

DXers distinguish between very rare, rare, semi-rare, and everyday DX. This has nothing to do with distance, but depends on the availability of the DXCC entity concerned. Stations from the US, Japan, Brazil, South Africa, most European countries and many others can easily be heard and contacted every day -  they are sort of noname DX. The overwhelming majority of radio amateurs belong to this category. Nothing special - not really "needed", grey mice in the DX circus. A country, however, in which no amateur radio licences are  issued (i. e. for political reasons) or a lonely island somewhere in Antarctica or in the Pacific, belong to the "very rare" or "rare" category; spots like that will be ranking very high, maybe on top of  the Most-Wanted Lists regularly published by DX organizations and magazines. On the basis of annual surveys and sometimes with a high degree of differentiation as to modes, bands, continents, they document what percentage of the world's DXers still need a DX-entity to have a first contact with. The higher the percentage, the more "rare" or "wanted" the DX-entity is. If a DX-entity like that happens to show up, nearly everybody starts calling, resulting in huge pile-ups of stations on one and the same frequency. Nearly no chance either for the rare DX or for those fiercely calling to decipher anything, let alone having an undisturbed contact. How can this situation be overcome?

A routine contact between two everyday DX-stations exchanging  reports, names, locations (QTH) etc. would take about ten minutes -  much too long if thousands upon thousands are impatiently standing by for a long-hoped-for contact. The solution is to reduce the length of the QSO to a tolerable minimum, e. g. to the exchange of signal reports (RS or RST) and a short confirmation procedure to be sure to be "in the log". The signal reports exchanged - always a "59" (in telephony) or a "599" (in all other modes) - are anything but "honest" or reflecting true signal strength. Treat them as pure fill-ins without any informal value. These ultra-short DX-QSOs - let's call them "DX-Quickies" - differ a little from mode to mode, but with experienced DX-operators they will always take only a minimal fraction of the time of the routine QSO mentioned above.

In the boxes below, you'll find the patterns (formats) of  typical DX-Quickies in the different modes (telephony, telegraphy, RTTY including the Digimodes). The red rectangles contain the texts which the rare DX (<DXCall>) sends, the green rectangles contain the texts of the station contacting the rare DX (<YOURCall>). You should replace <YOURCall> by your personal callsign.

If a DX-station asks for or accepts to be called with partial callsigns (preferably last two letters of the suffix), you should make use of the following formats (assumed <YOURCall> = "DJ2PJ"):

In case the DX does not follow the above pattern and verifies the full callsign before giving a report, the following alternative format is used:

The following two patterns  - for telegraphy (CW) and RTTY/PSK - are self-explaining.    I recommend you to adopt the texts in the green rectangles as macros for your CW-keyer and/or for the computer programs in use. Please note that in CW "599" is always (!) keyed in an abbreviated form as "5NN", or even "ENN"!

Operating with one of the quickie-formats shown above is a perfect method to reduce the length of a contact considerably and thus opening up a lot more hams the chance to working the rare DX. On the other hand, it does in no way solve the problem of too many stations calling on the same frequency at the same time and making all or most signals, including the DX-signal, unreadable for everybody. 

The magic formula for a way out of this dilemma is called "working split": The DX-station is operating on one frequency, the callers on another frequency or, preferably, on a multitude of frequencies within a certain frequency range, in both cases keeping an offset (QSX) of at least one or more kilohertz from the DX-station's frequency. The idea is that the DX-station's frequency remains free of callers, so that the DX can be heard "in the clear". The rare DX will announce how many kHz offset (up or down) from its working frequency (QRG) it will listen for calls. Typical announcements are (in brackets: your reaction):

"listening 5 to 10 up" (= call him on any frequency between 5 and 10 kHz higher than his operating frequency)

"listening 250 to 270" (= call him on any frequency between x250 and x270 kHz, where "x" stands for the band frequency, e. g. "14" for the 20-metre band; in this case: 14250 and 14270 kHz)

"2 up" (= call him exactly 2 kHz higher than his QRG   or: call him at least (!) 2 kHz higher than his QRG)

"2/5 up" (= call him between 2 to 5 kHz higher than his QRG  or: call him 2 or 5 kHz higher than his QRG alternatively (!))

"35" (= call him on exactly x035 kHz, where "x" stands for the band frequency, e. g. "28" for the 10-metre band; in this case: 28035 kHz) - rarely used

"1 dwn" (= call him exactly 1 kHz lower than his QRG  or: call him at least (!) 1 kHz lower than his QRG) -  down-offsets are rarely used

"3 up" (= call him exactly 3 kHz higher than his QRG   or: call him at least (!) 3 kHz higher than his QRG)

"up up up  spread out" (= call him at least 1 kHz higher but better use a (much) higher offset [up to 10 and more kHz, depending on the extent of the pile-up])

In other modes, split operation is rarely necessary. In PSK, the pattern mostly follows that of RTTY, although the split is not that wide, and offset frequencies are usually expressed in Hz.

If a DX-station announces split operation without telling how much offset is wanted  ("up"), try to find out its listening habits. Start with at least 1 kHz up and adjust your offset appropriately (see the remarks on pile-up strategies below).

Imagine, while searching for CW-DX on 20 metres, you come across a huge pile-up of fiercely calling stations. The pile has its peak at about 14023 kHz, but reaches from about 14021 to 14026. You don't know whom they are calling. Here is my recipe for how to proceed:

• Try to find the DX by slowly tuning below 14021 kHz ("Aha! There he is, on exactly 14020! His call sign ZK3XX, Tokelau Island in the Pacific. Nice DX, but very weak, nearly unreadable. Oh, well, the yagi is pointing into a south-westerly direction. Completely wrong that; it should be 1° from this QTH, that's near-exactly to the north!")

• OK, turn your antenna to 1° ("Much better signal now, peaking S5 to 6, no problem to read! ZK3XX says: '2 up!'")

• Press the A=B-button to have both VFOs on 14020 ("Done!")

• Adjust VFO B to 14022 ("VFO B on 14022 now")

• Press the SPLIT-button to be able to transmit on 14022. Carefully control if SPLIT is really on! ("SPLIT is on!")

• Press the A/B-reverse-button to have VFO A on 14022. By carefully tuning around this frequency, try to find the station working ZK3XX. Make a note of the frequency. Always press the A/B-reverse-button as soon as it is ZK3XX's turn to transmit ("OK!")

• Follow this procedure enough times to find out where ZK3XX is listening and working the other station(s). Does he really work stations on just exactly 14022  (2 up from 14020, as he said)? If not, what is his operating method? Is he slowly "drifting" up in reception every or every two, three, four... QSOs? What is his highest offset from 14020? Is he then moving down again? Until which frequency? Find the operation pattern! ("OK! He worked OK2PAY on 14022, then S59A on the same QRG. Next was a JA on a frequency slightly higher, then another JA on 14023. He moves higher in frequency every 2 to 5 QSOs. The pile-up is following him. If it gets too tough, he moves slightly higher: 0.5 kHz or a bit more... Highest frequency while on the way up seems to be a little more than 14025, lowest frequency on the way down seems to be little less than 14022. That's the spectrum where I should call him. Good idea to call him 1 kHz higher than he is working stations at the moment?")

• OK, fine! As soon as ZK3XX listens, give him a call: just your callsign - nothing else, not more than just one (!) time (see the DX-Quickie pattern for CW above!) ("Sh..., ZK3XX answers HA5FM, then QRZ again...")

• OK, call again: same frequency, same sort of call. Regularly check where he is picking flowers: with the A/B-reverse-button. Adjust your transmitting frequency appropriately. Call him, again and again. ("Yippee, that's ME now! I finally got him!)

• Fine, but don't forget to give him something to chow ("tu 5NN"; see the pattern above!) ("He said 'tu', everything's fine now!")

• That was pefect! Congratulations!

Please, do not expect to be as successful that soon as in our example. In extreme pile-ups with hundreds or thousands calling, it can take hours, sometimes days, before it's your turn to work the rare DX. Don't be so sure that the same recipe will help you in all situations. Observe the DX-station's mode of operation very, very carefully, and try to be the right key in the lock; try another key if one fails.  Do not get angry or frustated at any point; never really give up. Be self-confident enough to take a long break if anger and frustration begin to gnaw. Why not work the DXpedition one or two days later with a new shot of adrenalin, why not contact them even one day before they leave the rare spot when the pile-ups have calmed down?

We haven't talked yet about one of the worst sides of working pile-ups: deliberate jamming (QRM) on the DX's frequency. Amateur radio, radio amateurs are a part of society; they, too, reflect our community as it is today. Aggressive persons, people with noticeable mental deficits, neurotics maybe, belong to everyday life: disagreeable neighbours, spiteful colleagues and other awkward customers. It would border on the miraculous if they would not show up in amateur radio as well. And there they are, in the pile-ups and on traditional DX-frequencies: people who do not really want to work the DX but have decided to spoil all others' pleasure, for whatever reason or even no reason. Their anonymity - they will very rarely reveal their callsign - seems to make them unassailable. Unassailable - maybe, but there is a remedy though: simply ignoring them, not showing any reaction whatever they come out with. Believe a psychologist: Nothing hits and hurts these people more than simple ignoration! Never try to educate them - they need therapy, not education.

And last-not-least: two simple rules - very important and yet easy to follow. (No BUTs, please!)

In addition to what I told you:  BEFORE  you join your first pile-up, PLEASE read the following:  

Strictly speaking, this toolbox is useful for everybody, not for DXers and contesters in particular. In most countries, radio amateurs are (still) obliged by their telecommunication authorities to keep record of their transmissions. But even if this would not be the case, keeping a station log belongs to the most important activities of a radio operator. The station log is or should be a true and exact portrait of the communicative activities and the performance of a radio station, with the callsigns of all stations worked, exact dates and times (in UTC), frequencies (or bands), modes, signal reports, locations, operator names, QSL information, etc., depending on the operator's special interests. My log sheets in the eightees even had columns for daily ionospheric data and personal remarks on propagation, condition anomalities and disturbances. A log acts as the basis for filling in QSL cards or printing QSL labels, for checking incoming QSLs, and the log is undispensable when applying for awards and diplomas. Especially DXers and contesters would be completely lost without logkeeping.

With the entry of PCs into amateur radio, a strong tendency developed towards making use of electronic logging which seems to little by little replace the traditional paper logsheet or log book. In view of the unrivaled advantages of electronic logging, which reaches from simple EXCEL-logsheets (which are little more than paper logs on a computer screen) to highly complex computer programs with literally hundreds of special features, this is not very difficult to grasp. One of the problems seems to be, which logging program to choose, complicated by the fact that most computer programs for single modes, such as MMTTY or STREAM, contain their own - simple but fully sufficient - logging facilities. AC6V's fantastic website lists more than 75 different logging programmes, both shareware (you can test them for a while but you have to pay for full functionality) and freeware (you get them for free). Get yourself the information you need for making your choice.

The selection of a logging program can only be a very personal decision based on personal preferences. Some programs are simply "overloaded" with features you will never use. Don't be too much impressed by crammed computer screens; make your decision for a certain program by means of a list of features you (not the programmer!) place importance on. Here is a list of features I consider to be absolutely essential (or at least more than wishful):

• Support of your transceiver (CAT)

• User-definable and configurable log entry

• Ability to sort the log into callsign, frequency, mode, date, and other parameters

• Simple and/or automatic backup of the log file(s)

• Tracing the contacts for awards you are collecting for (DXCC, WAZ...)

• Ability of entering QSOs online and (!) offline

• Ability of editing the QSO database (e. g. DXCC-database)

• Printing the log

• Ability of producing the statistics you want/need

• Full ADIF compatibility (very important if you want to export your QSO database)

• Access to a DXCluster

Append other features you personally think you should insist on (e. g.  ability of printing labels, grayline and other displays, propagation forecasts, configurability of fonts, fore- and background colours etc. etc.). Be aware, however, that special programs for single features are mostly more comfortable and efficient than simple modules in a very comprehensive program. Do not seek for the proverbial egg-laying wool-milk sow!

If you do not trust electronic logging at all (HD crashes certainly have a much higher probability than fire in your house), if you feel confused or distracted by so much computerization or over-loaded computer screens, if you simply have no inclination to type in the thousands and thousands of QSOs of your personal pre-computer era, if you feel that making QSOs is more important than searching for bugs in a logging program or the integrated DXCC-database (I admit this is a very nasty remark...)  -  why not stick to paper-logging? Isn't it a good compromise to using your PC to make your own log design? I have a simple, but nice-looking logsheet for you for download. In this (editable) WORD-file replace "Call" by your callsign. Change whatever you like to change. Print a couple of sheets whenever you need them. Life can be that easy...