*EDITORIAL* ATNO – The DX Hallelujah

– February 9, 2014Posted in: Editorials

The term ‘ATNO’ is a new buzz word in ham and 11m radio comms.

With a glut of stirring DXpeditions occurring in recent months to rare DXCC entities (Bhutan, Timor Leste, Norfolk Island, and more), this unique catchword has been bandied about on the hobby forums and clusters by enthused DX Hunters in the midst of much celebration.

So what is it?  What’s it mean?  And why the joyous praise and song which surrounds it?

In actual fact, ‘ATNO’ is an acronym (formed from the initial letters of other words) rather than a word; an abbreviation which represents the phrase ‘All Time New One’.  Basically, a brand new DXCC country worked, regardless of the band!

“Ah HA!” you say.  “Now I see…”

‘ATNO’ is an acronym which, when used, is laden with escalating emotions; soaring adrenalin, fist-pumping exhilaration and dreamy satisfaction, matched only somewhat by the arrival of a QSL card from the Manager in question to confirm the contact.

Those who’ve had the pleasure of announcing an ‘ATNO’ obviously obtain a great deal of pleasure in doing so.  We’ve all been there.  We all know how it feels to tick off a new DXCC.  We all want to tell the world about it, our YL, our kids, our dog — anyone who’ll listen.  ‘ATNO’ is just one quirky way of doing so in just a few letters.  The perfect way of masking our pure excitement and not making us appear to be such simple fools!

After all, snagging a new one isn’t something that happens every day of the week, is it?  Often years apart!

So next time you read the ‘ATNO’ acronym posted by one of your fellow hobbyists, then take some time to congratulate him on his achievement.  In the end, an ‘All Time New One’ in the log is just reward for days, weeks, months, even years spent behind a mic chasing DX and often a small fortune by the wayside too.  The equivalent of a DX hallelujah.  A sign that the end of ‘a wait’ for a much wanted DXCC is finally over.

And that’s something we’ve all been grateful for.

Good luck with your ATNO’s.

73 de Darren, 43DA001