Well known DXer Pete Sundberg, SM2CEW, becomes 1,000th member of the TBDXC
When we started the True Blue DXers Club, in April 2018, our target was 500 members. With all the talk about Ham Radio dying off and CW and SSB on the wane, we thought that gathering 500 members for a Club that promotes traditional activities would be a good success. Well, 15 months later we've doubled the initial target! We keep receiving messages of support, and in the heated discussions about FT8 in a variety of fora, the TBDXC has gained quite some visibility.
We are also very happy to witness what seems to be a slow pickup in activity in human-to-human traffic on the Ham bands. Although mindless digital modes are as popular as ever, it is heartening, when HF conditions raise above "stone-cold dead", to see the CW and SSB sub-bands come alive with signals.
As members of an elite group of enthusiasts ("elite" not because we are "better" than others, but because we strive to keep the time honored tradition of DXing alive) we have to keep pushing, though. Our first responsibility, I believe, is to remain active ourselves. We cannot complain about bands being deserted if we don't do our best to make QSOs. I know out of personal experience that this can be frustrating: you call and call, and nobody answers. Yet, over the last few weeks I have set myself the task of making at least 10 QSOs per week, and I found that easy to do. If we all take up such small commitment, bands will populate again, and others will be encouraged to join in. 10 QSOs a week is an easy thing to do - try, and you will be rewarded!
Also, I have started emailing the colleagues I have been contacting on the air. I send them a short, friendly message like this one:
---
Dear xxx,
Thank you very much for our recent CW QSO. It is so nice to find somebody who still uses "real" modes for DXing on the HF bands.
I am very worried that my hobby and passion of a lifetime is about to die, because most people these days sit in front of a computer making contacts for them, and call this "DXing". CW and SSB sub-bands are often deserted, and the FT8 frequency is full of signals which could be easily copied by ear... Obviously, people are free to do what they want. But myself and over one thousand other DXers want to do all we can to keep the fine art of CW and SSB DXing alive. Why don't you join us in the True Blue DXers Club? It is completely free and it carries no obligations apart from your commitment to use and promote traditional, person-to-person modes of communication in Amateur Radio.
You can find out more at http://www.tbdxc.net
Hope you will join us. Thank you again for the QSO and see you on the air.
---
About two thirds of the people I write to write back, always with very warm, welcoming comments. And EVERY ONE OF THEM signs up for the Club! So, why don't you try this out yourself? Let's all stop moaning about our hobby and passion of a lifetime dying, and inject some new life into it!
Finally, don't forget that the TBDXC has a small but - I believe - interesting Awards programme. You can set yourself the challenge of working 200 DXCC countries in a calendar year, and/or to work at least 100 TBDXC members. Information on the awards is available at https://www.tbdxc.net/awards. And don't forget our TBDXC-specific Cluster page, where you can see in real time which members are active on which frequency: https://tbdxc.hamserver.de/
So, as we celebrate our 1000th member, let's all go out and make some noise on the bands. The "nuclear winter" of sunspots minimum will soon be over, and we can all take part in (and promote) the revival of CW and SSB DXing.
73
Pete MM0TWX
TBDXC Founder and CEO
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.
