The plan this weekend was to get some new DXCC's logged for the
Diamond Jubilee award I am working on. As the saying goes "things did not go as planned" it's now Sunday aftern with next to no radio time in and the time I was on it seemed the bands out this way were dead. So it was off to plan "B"..... enter all the contacts I have made into a great
Excel program made just for the Diamond Jubilee award. My count was 74 contacts.....so I thought anyway. You see this is my first effort at the DXCC award and it seems I was off with my contact count. For example lets look at Jamaica and Cayman Islands.......I had Jamaica, Turks and Caicos islands then finally Cayman Islands
oh to be in the Cayman's now but that is another post I counted that as 3.....
NOT......It's only one (blog world tell me I'm wrong) I also had the same problem with the West Indies, Great Britain and so on!!! So my count went from 74 to 63 confirmed DXCC's. So with that good news under my belt it was time to enter the information into the Excel spread sheet. The info needed is Call sign, band, date and time. I did have some troubles matching calls to countries as they were special event calls, they are no where close to the DXCC prefix. For example Gibraltar is a ZB2 prefix but my logged call is ZQ2FK. The call is a special call in honor of the Diamond Jubilee in England. Some other calls were special contest call signs. For example Martinique DXCC is FM8 or FM the contest call from there was TO5X....not even close. It was a frustrating event matching these calls to the DXCC country list at times. Now my plans are for late afternoon and evening' I am going to sit at the computer once again (this time with a Guinness) and log more calls into the Excel spreed sheet.
10 comments:
Mike,
Good morning, generally I search the spreadsheet using the name of the country then default to the prefix, keeping in mind, the challenge is based on the list from the late 30s. Good luck and we have until the end of December to complete the project!
Scot, KA3DRR
Hello Mike,
I've found the same problems too with DX entities. Not that I've given up, but it appears it's going to take more than a dipole in the valley to get one hundred different countries.
Although I don't use excel for my logging program, the address book works good also. I like the extra room to keep e-mails etc from stations that I've worked.
Good luck on reaching that magic one hundred!
Good afternoon Scot, I'm going to keep plugging at it DXCC by DXCC. On the ARRL site they do have a list with the non qualifying DXCC's blanked out which helps. Have a great whars left of the weekend.
Hello John, yes it can get to you after seeing the DXCC's you have and what you need. I am doing this one QRP and with the attic dipole. If I reach the 100 mark that would be great but what ever the number it turns out to be it will be a magic number for sure.
Mike
Hi Mike, for checking my DXCC count I use Excel too, but not any more as log. I use the QRZ.com log - that works fine for me. I don't use CAT controlled equipment. 73 Paul
Good afternoon Paul, I have never used QRZ.com's log I use LOTW and Eqsl. The problem I am running into is the DXCC Jubilee only counts contacts made in 2012 only. The logs I use include all DXCC and it can be frustrating. For example with DXlabs it checks my log against the current posted DXCC's being posted on the clusters. I may need a DXCC for my Jubilee award but the cluster report on DXlabs will say I already have it.......but it's 3years old and is needed for the Jubilee award!!
Oh well the fun of ham radio joined with computers
Have a good day Paul.
Hello Mike, I always use QRZ to look up the locator to calculate the distance. QRZ also gives the DXCC. I sometime find a new DXCC in my log while looking up the locator after the contest, that I had not noted, when I made the QSO. hi 73, Bert
Good evening Bert, this is the second comment I have had regarding QRZ look up. I am for sure this evening going to look into it if it is going to make this easy at this end.
Searching a log can be a pain. I had it with WSPR reports. Glad I've automated it know with the help of excel filters. Interesting award by the way, I think I've to look into it. Just curious how many I got? 73, Bas
Good afternoon Bas, yes the Jubilee award is one year in length and a one off award. I have plans on doing it QRP with my attic antenna but we will see how it goes.
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