*EDITORIAL* The Future of ALTNO on 11m

For the majority of Eleven Meter DX enthusiasts around the globe, the fundamental aim of our hobby is to work and confirm as many DXCC entities as possible.

For sure, working an All Time New One (ATNO) is one of the most invigorating moments our pastime can toss up, surpassed only perhaps by the forthcoming QSL card turning up in the PO Box a few weeks later.

Most of the more experienced 11m DX Hunters will already have amassed a healthy number of DXCC but, as you might imagine, working an ATNO in the current band climate, as we sink into the depths of Cycle 24, is highly unlikely.

Serious DX Hunters must now wait for improved conditions to spurn DXpedition parties to rare and most wanted countries in order to complete the missing entries in their QSL album.

But will these ATNO DXpeditions ever eventuate?  Some will argue…NO!  Well not without a change of thinking anyway…”

Despite the prospect of cyclical dividends in the future and greater accessibility to a wider range of contacts, several of the world’s Freeband DXers have reached a point in their career as ‘DXCC accumulators’ where the future as ‘paper collectors’ looks bleak.

“Why bleak?” you might say.  “Sounds a little cynical, Darren…”

In my opinion, one of the biggest and certainly one of the most frustrating challenges sure to affect more and more 11m devotees over time will be conquering DXCC entities accessible only to hams and this brings us to the crux of this article…

Convincing guys to activate these remote and inaccessible entities then is the challenge.

Essentially, Ham DXpeditioners have an enormous advantage over unlicensed 11m DXers because their licence, like a passport, enables them to venture to places where the common man cannot.

Island sanctuaries, foreign controlled atolls, sovereign land, etc. are all far more accessible to the Ham — not just because of the government issued licenses too but also because of the extensive resources available to Ham DXpedition parties willing to tackle ‘Most Wanted’ DXCC.

By resources I mean equipment sponsorship from amateur radio companies such as ICOM and Yaesu, as well as large financial donations from DX Groups and individuals sometimes totaling over the $100,000 US mark.

“WELL GET A LICENSE THEN!!!!!” I hear some of you shouting.

While I agree this would solve accessibility issues, there are certain ‘conflict of interest’ issues dual ops from “Most Wanted” DXCC create.

PLUS not everyone has ambitions of becoming a licensed ham…

On the issue of external sponsorship, despite the fact individuals in the 11m DX community pump millions of dollars into the ham retail community, getting any recognition from these companies to help fund 11m DXpeditions will probably never happen, for my part, until operations on Freeband frequencies are legalized.

Ask anyone of these companies off the record though and they’ll assure you 11m DXers have their 100% support.

Note the emphasis on “off the record though…”

A massive dilemma facing Eleven Meter DXers in the future therefore will be accessing the remote regions of the world (i.e. Most Wanted DXCC); DXCC such as Scarborough and Mellish Reef, Johnston Atoll…

Unless hams are willing to brave the criticism from fellow hams for venturing onto 11m frequencies from these remote dxstinations, some might argue that any Freeband activity from these places will never eventuate.

Are changes to the DXCC listing required in view of that?  I’m not convinced.

Or should everyone in the 11m Community put their heads together to devise a way that such ‘out of the ordinary’ places can be activated and ticked off in the QSL album?

The future will tell.

73 de 43DA001 Darren