DX Code of Conduct

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DX Resources
Updated September 11, 2021

A collection of DX resources and information, adapted from a similar page that I did about a decade ago for the Iowa City ARC web site. -KØCF

(Note: All item headers are clickable links.)


DX Bulletins

   425 DX News
Edited by Mauro Pregliasco, I1JQJ & Valeria Pregliasco, IK1ADH.
A DX news site from Italy, with a weekly bulletin available via free email subscription. Usually arrives on Friday. Subscription includes a DX Calendar.

   The Ohio/Penn DX Bulletin (OPDX)
Edited by Tedd Mirgliotta, KB8NW.
A truly superb information resource. Delivered every Sunday morning by free e-mail subscription.

   DX News Letter (DXNL)
Edited by Klaus Poels, DL7UXG.
A good DX information source from Germany. Also available via a free e-mail subscription.

   The Daily DX
This is a paid DX newsletter, which arrives each weekday, with extra editions for rapidly breaking news. Bernie McClenny, W3UR, is the editor (and is also DX editor for QST magazine). A two-week free trial is available on the web site. Rates are currently $28 for 6 months, or $49 per year. (It is well worth the cost! -KØCF)

   ARRL DX Bulletin Archive
   ARRL DX Bulletin Subscriptions
Another source for DX information. As with the above newsletters, this is available via e-mail subscription on the ARRL "Newsletters" page. It comes every Thursday afternoon.

   The Eastern Iowa DX Bulletin (EIDXB)
Edited by Craig Fastenow, KØCF.
Available on the front page of this website, it is published every Sunday. This bulletin is a compilation of currently active operations only, gleaned by permission from other DX bulletins. Email notification is available to members of the EIDXA via our Google group mailing list.


Other DX Information Sources

   ARRL DXCC Program
Most everyone who chases DX is after the DXCC award, or endorsements to it. Here is the site with all the rules, "entity" (i.e., country) list, entry forms, FAQ, etc.

   DX Summit
Finnish web resource for DX information, including live DX spots from all around the world.

   NG3K Amateur Radio Contest/DX Page
A great source for scheduled DX operations, both for general DX and contests. (Even if you are not a contester, DX contests are a great time to pick up new countries.) Also a tremendous collection of links for all things related to DX.

   DXWorld.net
Features one-page graphical depictions of on-going DXpeditions. Nicely done site with beautiful photography. (Suggested by WØGXA.)

   The Complete DX'er -- by Bob Locher, W9KNI
Far and away the most popular DX book ever written, "The Complete DX'er" is both the highly entertaining diary of a serious DX chaser, and at the same time full of lessons for DX'ing success. Written in a warm, personal style, this is a work you will read again and again. It very much respects and honors the traditions of DX'ing, yet brings a sense of excitement to the chase. $19.95 plus S/H.


QSL Information

   Logbook of the World (LoTW)
This is the ARRL's online logbook. Once signed up, you can upload your logs to LoTW. When the DX you have worked uploads his logs, a "QSL" is generated. You can download your QSL records to import into your computer log to show them as confirmed. You can then submit these "QSLs" for DXCC, either a new award or endorsements to an existing one. The only charge for using LoTW is when you file to use the LoTW QSLs to apply to your DXCC. The cost is much less than getting a paper QSL and submitting it.

Inaugurated in September 2003, LoTW, as of September 2021, has more than 1.3 billion QSO records on file, with more than 293 million QSL records resulting. The system boasts almost 150,000 registered users.

Users of the ARRL's Logbook of the World may also apply their LoTW credits to applications for the League's Worked All States (WAS) award. (US Amateur Radio licensees must be ARRL members to apply for the WAS award.)

Some CQ Magazine awards are available through LoTW as well.

   IK3QAR QSL Manager Lookup
From Italy, perhaps the most complete source for QSL managers. If you are not aware of QSL managers, they are volunteers who take care of QSLing chores for busy DX stations. Often, they are in the USA, so a QSL only costs two 58¢ stamps, (one on your outer envelope, one on your SASE) instead of a $1.30 airmail stamp and two US dollar bills!

   Zero District QSL Bureau
The QSL bureaus provide an inexpensive way of getting your DX QSL cards. You send $6.00 to the bureau to buy 5 envelopes with one 58¢ stamp on each, plus 8 extra stamps (at 20¢ each). When an envelope gets full of DX QSL cards, they mail it to you. A good explanation of both the incoming and outgoing QSL bureaus is available at the ARRL's Incoming QSL Bureaus page and the Outgoing QSL Service page.


How to QSL

Direct QSL Hints -- from K3KY
Direct QSLing to Russia and CIS -- from Dennis, RZ1AK
How to Improve your QSL Returns -- from ZS6EZ


QSL card printers

Some sources for your own QSL cards. Thanks to Rich Haendel, W3ACO, for researching the data in this table. Rich uses (and HIGHLY recommends) UX5UO for his QSLs. Prices are current as of September 10, 2021 and are subject to change. Click on the QSL Printer's name to visit their web site.
Printer Card Style Price
per 1,000 		E-Ham
Rating 		Comments
LZ1JZ 2 color 1 side See webpage 4.9/228 No charge
for photos
Others by quote  
CheapQSLs.com
(Closing October
29, 2021) 		Black 1 side $9.99/100+S/H
$99.90/1000+S/H 		5.0/722 Fixed format
Full color 2 side $28.95/100+S/H
$289.50/1000+S/H
UX5UO 4 color 1 side $66.00 ppd 5.0/334 No charge
for photos
Full color
+ 1 color back 		$73.00 ppd
Full color glossy
+ 1 color back 		$89.00 ppd
QSL Shop Full color
+ black back 		$120.00+S/H 4.9/95 No charge
for photos
Franklin Printing
(WZ8P)		 Full color front
+ black back 		$143.00 ppd 5.0/1  
  E-ham rating is the rating / number of reviewers. 5.0 is the highest rating.


Propagation

   N6RT's Propagation Page
Excellent near real time propagation information collected from numerous sources.
   ARRL Propagation Bulletin Archive
ARRL's excellent weekly propagation bulletins by K7RA. Available by free email subscription on the ARRL web site, as well as in the archive page linked here.
   NOAA GOES 1 min & 5 min X-ray Flux
NOAA's plot of solar X-Ray flux, a measure of the intensity of ionization in the earth's ionosphere. Updated each minute, shows 6-hour and 3-day spans.
   NOAA Planetary K Index
NOAA's plot of the geomagnetic K-index, a measure of disturbances in the earth's magnetic field, which is detrimental to HF propagation. Auroras often appear when the K-index is very high. Updated every five minutes, shows a 3-day span.
   Near-Real-Time MUF Map
A very nice world map showing the Maximum Usable Frequency (MUF) over the entire globe.
   NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center
A nice collection of NOAA propagation data. Links provided to other NOAA pages. They have a nice collection of charts.
   SpaceWeather.com
Very nicely done site, with lots of information about space weather other than propagation-related info.
   SolarHam.net
Provided by VE3EN. A lot of propagation-related info in one place. Very attractively done! (Suggested by KØVM.)
   VOACAP
A very useful and elegantly designed propagation forecast site. You select both ends of a path, antenna type and transmitter power. The results appear on a world map and a 24-hour wheel that shows path reliability by band. A must-see resource!
   WM7D's Solar Resource Page
A nice collection of propagation data by WM7D.


Contest Resources

As a service to other WriteLog users, I am making available "call history" or "prefill" files for contests where they are applicable. Please note that I am not the source of the data used to create these files -- that data comes from the N1MM+ call history site. If you have corrections or updates, please contact VE2FK, who maintains them for N1MM+.

The N1MM+ call history files are plain text files, which I have converted to ADIF format for use with WriteLog. ADIF files are formatted text files that you can open and read with any text editor, such as Notepad. You may find it interesting to take a look at them.

If you need a prefill file for a contest that is not listed here, please send an email to k0cf (at) arrl dot net, and I will try to create one for you.

This list is sorted by contest name. The files are all ZIP files, from which you must extract the .adi file. The date shown is when the file was created.

After extracting the .adi file, start WriteLog, start a new log for the selected contest, then go to the "Tools" menu. On that menu, select “Preset Exchange from ADI file…”, browse to the location of the .adi file and load it. To test it, you can type in a callsign from the .adi file and the received exchange should auto-populate when you hit "space" or "tab" to leave the callsign field.

Please note that the information in these files comes from logs from previous runnings of the contest. That information is subject to errors. Ops move, change their station power, or the exchange may have been incorrectly copied. Use the prefill information as a "suggestion", and be sure to log what your QSO partner sends!


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