One of the Local QRPers was by the other day and this one was down in the dumps. "What's the matter?", we asked, in a properly sympathetic tone. "It those know-it-alls who keep telling me I should work DX the way they do." he said, "They send me E-mail telling me why I shouldn't work DX on a net, or why I shouldn't make skeds, or why I should QSL the same way they do! Why, one of them even said my DXCC certificate wasn't worth as much as his because only about half of my QSOs were CW! These are Big Gun DXers, calls I respect and see in QST all the time. Why don't they leave me alone?" He sat down, dejected and disillusioned with the hobby that brought him so much joy. The same hobby that had put a spring in his step only a year or two ago.
Usually we are a bit confused when a QRPer shows up with a tale of woe, and sometimes we have to cross-examine for quite awhile before we get to the bottom of the matter. Not this time! The QRPer's meaning was crystal clear! "Stand tall", we said in a loud and confident voice, "And work'em any way you want! All CW, all SSB, all on a net, all by sked. Run 1 watt or 1500 watts. It doesn't matter to anyone but you as long as you keep it legal! There will always be advice offered by those who do it differently . . . why do you think the Legion of Handwringers exists?" We jumped to our feet, and shouted, "You are a DXer! Follow the Amateur's code, not the advice of those with too much spare time on their hands! Your DXCC certificate is yours, and yours alone. Absolutely. Hold your head high, watch for the DX and work it any way you see fit. Never let anyone tell you otherwise! Understand?"
The QRPer stood up, his shoulders back, and his face beaming. "You're right!", he said, "I guess I just put too much stock in the opinions of others. The DX I work today, no matter how I work it, is my DX! And not to be seen in the minutes of the next meeting of the Legion of Handwringers!" We nodded enthusiastically, for this QRPer was on the verge of DX enlightenment, clear in his understanding of one of the Eternal Enigmas. "Remember what Albert so often said," we replied, "all things are relative, some more so. Albert was not a DXer, but he knew there was no absolute point of reference . . . and when one of these Big Guns find one, they will have disproved the theory of relativity! When they do, you'll read about it in QST . . . and a lot of other places!"
The QRPer was off down the hill, heading for his shack and ready for a new one. Son of a Gun! There are both good days and bad days in this world of DX and this was definitely a good one. The special theory of relativity proved it. And don't argue with Albert or Hendrik! You'll lose. Always!
73/DX Paul VE1DX
Return to DX Story Page
Go to K2CD's Main Page
Back to GeoCities Cape Canaveral