Nice, thought provoking article, Rob. My "guess" is that the sky is the limit. Time at the dials seems to be the key. Some DX'ers seem to be able to make more time for DX'ing. Me, not so much. My "total" logbook is only 775! Now that is only US/Cdn. stations but the lower number equates to the fact that I may go weeks, months, years or decades (not really joking) without doing serious DX.
ULR's have been fun (although I can only afford a basic hand me down SRF-59 and whatever "non-conforming" units from Goodwill), I was able to log 102 stations in four hours for the Spring ULR contest and logged 77 in an hour and a half for the Autumn contest. The more important thing for me, however was that I added six new ones to the main log. Rob - I think that in a year or two, you will be telling us how that after you've reached 1000 ULR logs, that you are going for 1250! Good Lucka nd 73, Dave in Indy ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:24:17 -0500 From: "Robert S.Ross VA3SW" <va...@rogers.com> Subject: [IRCA] How Many ULR Loggings are Possible????? To: IRCA AM List <irca@hard-core-dx.com> Message-ID: <495a6751.5070...@rogers.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Hi Guys: After logging # 602 I have found myself in another Drought...not hearing anything New on ULRs for the last 2 Days!! Several people have asked the Million Dollar Question....Is there a limit to how many stations can be logged using ULR Radios??? Will we eventually hit a Brick Wall that will cause us to give up and abandon the ULR cause?? Interesting question......and I have asked myself the very same question. When I began ULR DX'ing back in Jan/08......I thought it would be cool to hear 100 Stations on my New SRF-59. After a week and over 100 Loggings....I figured with a Lot of work ...I could most likely Log 300. ( That took the rest of the month!!) I surely never imagined that 300 in a month would be possible. The trek continued........it started to slow down a bit....but soon enough I had 400 then 500 and now 600 Stations in the Log!! The Last 100 from 500 to 600 took about 3 Months...so you can see that it's starting to become more of a challenge with each new station heard. However...rather than have that Discourage me....it gives me more desire to try and hit # 700...and beyond. Now we're actually getting to the stage where I'm not just turning on the Radio and listening for New Ones...I actually have to work at it....use various strategies......use propagation to my advantage ...and rely on other things like External Antennas, Filters, and of course Lady Luck!! Being in the right place at the right time has a lot to do with it........so it only makes sense that if you spend a lot of time at the dials.....you will hear a lot of stations. Listening at different times of the day and night are factors that will add to your totals. Don't forget as well that no 2 Days are alike (Except for the ones where you hear nothing!! HAHHA). Sometimes Sunset Skip favours the South , other times it's the West, other times stations seem to be coming in from all directions!! Some days the GraveYard freqs are totally Jammed...and nothing can be sifted out of the Mud.....other days the Stations seem to jump right out at you. What I am finding lately is that I am NOT hearing NEW ONES every day any more...but they seem to be coming in bunches....nothing for 2 Days....then 3 or 4 stations in 10 minutes!! I am also seeing a lot more Regional Stuff being heard....like last night I was hearing everything from the Philadelphia, New Jersey, NYC area . Sometimes if I hear Grand Rapids, Michigan on 1230 Khz....I will also hear them on 1340 Khz as well. I know the propagation for AM BCB is not like FM Radio...but at times what you hear on AM tends to have that FM TROPO Feel to it. Stuff from a particular area is all over the band. I think a real important factor now aside from any skills I may have picked up along the way is an element of LUCK!! Somedays will be Poor no matter what you do....whole others will be Excellent in spite of anything you may do wrong. It all comes down to being there when it happens. Keeping an eye on the tips from the members of the various reflectors will help add New Ones to your Totals. I have logged a pile of New Ones thanks to someone even 500 Miles away advising they were hearing something Unusual like a Station on Late, or a Station Testing. We have to use the expertise of others to help in our quest. Now back to the Million Dollar Question........do I think there is a LIMIT as to how many stations can be heard on a ULR Radio?? No....There is no limit, as long as we are patient, never give up and use all the tools we have at our disposal. I believe there is NO LIMIT because even though I have logged 1200 Stations OVERALL on the BCB in 35 Years, I have already logged 600 , or half as many in my first year with an ULR. Also...of those 600 Heard.....200 of those were New to the OVERALL Log as well. How may people with over 1000 Stations Heard can say they have Logged 200 NEW ONES to their Overall log in the past year??? My guess is NOT MANY!! One of the reasons I was not hearing many new stations for the Overall Log was it was just not fun fighting through all the noise, QRM, and Crud on the Band the last few years. Since obtaining the ULR's I have found those obstacles much less of a problem ...and therefore am enjoying myself much more. When something is FUN....you tend to stick with it! Oh yes...things are going to slow down substantially.......but I don't think they will ever dry up as far as ULR DX'ing goes. It's gonna get a lot tougher....but somethinjg I am finding now is that when I do log a New One.....it is usually a GOOD Logging....either a Low Power Station, A GraveYarder....or something FAR AWAY!! I think I have pretty much logged most of the close in stuff, and all of the easy stuff. You know something else....everyone is in the Hobby for different Reasons....be it Diehard DX'ers, Casual Listeners, Live Sports Aficionados, QSL'ers, or Technical Geeks!!! (No Offense Gary, John and Guy!!) HAHHAA..... Friendly competition is something that spurs some of us on the ACHIEVE just a little more. As I passed the 600 mark in URL Stations Heard......there is a healthy group of ULR DX'ers that have either reached the 500 Mark....or are making a surge towards it. As they motor along logging more and more stations each and every day....I see them in the Rear View Mirror...and it's only a matter of time before one of them takes the lead....and in turn takes the ULR Hobby to the next level. I hope that my efforts to hear Stations on the ULR Radios has given others the desire to try it out....and in turn spread some of their enthusiasm on New ULR Dx'ers!! I'm sure Gary Debock sometimes scratches his head and says.."Oh My God...what kind of a monster have I created here!!" HAHAHAA.....It's a Happy Monster Gary...sort of like "Milton the Monster"....for those Old enough to remember this 1960's Cartoon!! My "Thing" with ULR's is DXing and Logging Stations.....I'm not much of a TECHIE.......Guys Like Gary, John, Guy, Steve and a Bunch of the others out on the Left Coast are the Experts in that department. I need to thank them for spending countless hours attempting...and succeeding in making the ULRs a Lot better for me to DX with!! Without the Knowledge and Practical Skills of these guys.....I would be equipped a little less to battle the Propagation Gods!! Finally for all those ULR DX'ers that are Stuck at 200 or 300 or 400 and think things will eventually dry up making it impossible to hear new stations..FEAR NOT. I really do not believe there is any limit or magic number that can be heard before it's all over!! Just as the Long Distance Boys have proven that there is NO LIMIT in Distance that can be heard....Spare the circumference of the globe!! Press on .....and remember the most important aspect of ULR DX'ing is not how many we can hear....or how far away they are, or what they are playing when we hear them.....the most important aspect is HAVING FUN!! I truly believe that is what has brought ULR DXing to where it is today...and where it's going to be in years to come!! HAPPY ULR YEAR TO ALL ...... 73...ROB Robert S. Ross VA3SW London, Ontario CANADA _______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list IRCA@hard-core-dx.com http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: irca@hard-core-dx.com