Secrets of DX Success

Radio Record, Volume VII, Issue 15, 20 October 1933, Page 24

Secrets of DX Success

A good set, a favourable location, and plenty of perseverance are the main essentials to which Messrs. J. P. Cowlishaw (3HQ) and D. N. Adams (2HQ) attribute their successes in the recent DX Competitions. In the accompanying article they tell readers how they became interested in axing, and how they compiled their prizewinning logs.

QNB of the finest logs submitted for the last DX Competition was that sent in by Mr. J. P. Cowlishaw (8HQ), of Palmerston North, who won both the City Certificate and the Wellington District Certifieate, in addition to gaining second place in the Challenge Cup competition. Mr. Cowlishaw has been dxing for five years, and to some effect, for he has now a verified log of 381 stations, a total which was only 36 behind that of the Challenge Cup winner. In the following he gives an account of his dx experiences "I attribute my small success as a dxer to a boy of mine who, about five years ago, became keenly interested in radio. He put together a crystal set which, apart from the fact that while he was listening-in, no one was permitted to speak, was a great success. He soon became dissatisfied, however. and eventually in 1929 we became possess: ed of an old six-valve Page, with three tuning dials. "This gave splendid results for a long time, and I will never forget the thrill I experienced on first hearing KGMB. Honolulu. However, eventually it went ‘phut,’ and we were left without music for a few days. Satur. day morning came and we began to make inquiries as to what we were going to do for music over the week-end. with the result that at 9 p.m. a brand new Majestic, model 90, 7-valve t.r.f a.c, receiver, arrived at the door. That yas in August, 1980, and it is still ere. "I began to compile a log, and was not long in reaching the 100-mark, though unfortunately the idea of writing to the stations I heard did not occur to me for some time-unfortu-nately because many of them are now off the air and-my cnance of verifying them is lost. WCHI was one station in particular I very much regret not writing. "I have never done much in the way of experimenting, beyond increasing the height of my aerial several times It is now 65ft. high. My earth is some what similar to a Pierce earth. being a lin, copper pipe attached to ¢ copper kettle, buried five feet in the ground. My earth wire is connected to this pipe and to four other galvanised pipes, two on each side of it. "The best time to dx? Well, I think it Is any time one can listen in. There is always something to be picked up, and if one igs not continually at the dials much is missed. Dxing for VK’s is as interesting as any, but even these @tations do not all send replies."

The winner of the Marlborough-Can-terbury District Certificate, Mr. D. N. Adams (2HQ), attributes his dx success to the four qualifications he mentions -in the following account of his ‘Ix experiences :- "There are four main factors which a dxer must take into -full: consideration if he is to make a success of his hobby. namely, the set, location, aerial and. earth system, and last, but by no means least, patience and perseverance. It is imperative to have a good receiver, be in a good location for the reception of dx stations, to have an efficient aerial and earth system, and then to be blessed with a super-abundance of patience and have nerves which can stand the worst static, Anyone possessing these four necessary attributes can be successful in dxing, ' "My set is a tf. Majestic. mode! 0B, using four tuned stages. The valves are four 227’s r.f., a 227 detec tor, two 245’s audio. and a 280 rectifier Some dxers might be rather surprised to notice that my set does not employ any screen-grid valves. "When I purchased it some four

c years ago, the dealer handed me a list of stations, together with corresponding dial readings. These included New Zealand and Australian stations most of which I soon logged, together with some Americans. It was not long before I heard these also, together with others which were not on the list, and soon I began to wonder just how many American stations there were. "Through reading the dx notes in the ‘Radio Record’ I became more inter. ested in dxing, and two months after

purchasing the set decided to write to some of the stations I had heard and get verifications as other dxers were doing. Before I knew where I was T was one of the keenest dxers in New Zealand I have to thank many of the dxers who were then writing to the Radio Record’ for the valuable assistance their notes gave me in my early days of dxing. There were no elaborate call-books in those days, and one had to get not only the call of the station but the address, if possible, as well. If this was missed one had to write in to the dx notes. Nowadays practically every dxer bas a book ccataining a complete list of stations. together with their frequencies and addresses. "J had many good catches in my early days of dxing. and found my set capable of pulling in most of the stations other dxers were getting. My set has given me wonderful service, and in three years no adjustments whatever were made to it. At the end of three years I was. still using the original valves supplied with the set, and was logging 100-watt American stations at good volume. I have found that a tz. set is most suitable for dxing. My set is also very selective, and I ean tune in the 250-watt station KFVB on 1000 k.c. without the slightest interference from 8YA on 980 k.c, which is only 100 miles distant. On the crowded parts of the dial, I have tuned in four Australian stations with only 10 k.c, separation or less, without trace of interference. I have had only three new valves fitted during the four years the set has been in use. "Location is another big factor in dxing, for if one is not in a locatily which is satisfactory for the reception of distant stations, one can never hope to be successful. It is evident that my location is very suitable for overseas reception, for stations all over

DX Club Meetings --- Wellington Branch The next meeting of the Wellington Branch will be held on the 3rd Floor, "Dominion" Building, Mercer Street, on October 19, at 8 p.m,

D. P.

BOUVERIE

Vist. Sec. Wanganui Branch. The next meeting of the Wanganui Branch will be held at 21 Lowther Street on Thursday, October 19, at 8 p.m.

F.

CARR

(150W.), |]

Branch Secretary. i]

the world have been heard. However, I think my greatest sticcéss has been with stations on the American Oonti-nent-perhaps because the hours of receiving them are most suitable. "J now have 231 Americans, 11 Canadians, and seven Mexicans verified. Thirty-five of the Americans are 100-watters, and two are only 50 watts in power. So far I hold verificativns from’ the following countries :--Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Czechoslovakia, U.S.A., Canada, Cuba, Mexico, South Indie, Siam, China, Japan, Philippine Islands, and Australia.: "Another big factor in. successful dxing is the aerial and earth system. Mine is nothing out of the ordinary, but has given me good results. ‘The aerial is a single wire, ‘L’ shaped, 140 feet overall, one pole being 40 feet high and the other 35 feet. For a long time my aerial ran over the whole length of the roof of the house, and only about 20 feet above it. I had quite good results, but when I shifted it away from the roof and put it up higher, my volume from stations inereased considerably, proving that a good aerial will improve reception. "My earth consists of a car radiator buried 3 feet down, together with sundry kerosene tins, lengths of copper wire, and pieces of tin, all soi dered together, Nearby is. sunk a 4 inch pipe, through which water is poured to keep the earth well dampened, I also have two 3-foot pines driven in the ground, the whole being connected, and a single lead taken to the set. For a start I had only one 3-foot pipe, but when I put in the new earth, there was a noticeable increase in reception. "With a good set, satisfactory location, and efficient aerial and earth system, all that is necessary.is to possess plenty of patience and perseverance, and to have a head thick enough to withstand the static and other noises so well known to all dxers. I seem to be so blessed, and when to others static is unbearable, I can sit at the set and

be so concentrated on catching items or the call of some station that I do not notice the noise. Some of my best _ catches have been made through the worst receiving conditions. "For a start, one must be forever at © the set, and spend many hours in logging stations. After one has the powerful stations and most of the 1 k.w. and 500 watt stations on the American continent logged, one can pick the best nights for dxing, and try for some definite station which one knows to be on the air at the time. That is the way I am now dxing, and I find that it is very seldom that I do not get a new station when conditions are suit- . able. "All my dx work is done on loudspeaker, and, as our ‘lady champion’ puts it, under these circumstances one must have a tolerant family. Were I to.start all over again I would have headphones fitted to the set, and then would be able to dx without annoying the whole neighbourhood. Ihavefound | that the worst static is experienced in the early morning when looking for European stations. . Often I have switched off my set because of the noise, not wishing to make myself too unpopular with the neighbours. "TJ consider our summer the best period for dxing, for during the winter in this district we seem to get more static. Again, in the summer, though the stations are weaker, they seem clearer and freer from noise. Also, during our summer, it is winter in U.S.A.,, and during their winter numbers of stations conduct special dx programmes, and consequently stations are heard till 10 p.m. our time. I have caught many of these stations on dx programmes, and of course they welcome reports from so far a distant place as New Zealand. "J think dxing a very fine hobby, and though it is rather expensive, what hobby is not? One might imagine that when one gets over the 300 mark, dxing becomes ‘stale,’ but I have found that I get more pleasure now out of getting one new station than I did with

getting three or four. The new ones are now so hard to find that they are all the more appreciated when they are pieked up,"