How far?

[mackmobile43]

What constitutes a dx contact as far as distance? 10,20,30,40 or 50 miles.

Please clarify.

 

[EDUK8TR]

40 miles that is what it was. CDX116

Correct-a-mundo!

 

[Happy_Hamer]

I can get further than 40 miles on 2M, even without a repeater.

In fact, if a repeater is more than 40 miles away, can that be a contact over it?

And if I use echolink to get a contact 41 miles from the echolink station, is that OK too?

Lots of wierd stuff now, 27.475 was simple.

Simplex only

I agree 74. Lots of weird stuff for sure. 27.475 ? those were the days but they are gone now. As I was told , If you don't like it leave.

If that is what everyone wants we can limit the frequency for the next contest, just for example though, my radio will not tx at 27.475, so I cannot participate in the next contest if that is the "set" frequency. :thumbdown:

Now if it were the way we have it now I would put up a reply and say I cant talk there, how about 27.405 (CHANNEL 40) LSB at noon?

i would try to explain it to you but the post would just get deleted like the rest of my posts do so i wont bother.

Quiet down or I will delete that reply :tongue:

 

[MAGMOUNT]

i think dx contacts should be from another state other than the one you live in to be counted as a dx contact. jmho

 

[714]

Farther than the Radio would normally Transmit, IMO.
Doug S.

 

[park]

In ham radio "dx" is a contact with another country.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

In ham radio "dx" is a contact with another country.

Niot always. A contact between Canada and the USA is not considered DX and neither is a contact between most countries in Europe.A contact from here in Nova Scotia to Alaska on 20m is not really DX but the same contact on 6m may well be considered DX.Similarily a contact from here to California on 15m is not DX but on 160m it is. It gets confusing when you start throwing differant bands around.

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

Hard to put miles as a deciding factor for DX

Are we talking legal radios and or legal linears
( i do not use linears ever)

even with my T90A on street level i can hit a repeater 75-80 miles away
(i do not consider it DX for i can do it day in and day out)

if i use my base equipment (which is hooked up to antennas quite high on my buildings roof) i can get 125-150 miles without any problems (further if i use my beams)

For me unless it is 350 or more miles (on vhf to uhf ) only then might i consider it DX
when comes to HF i need go at least 1000 miles to consider it DX

But you can also say/claim DX can only be considered if it is a hard to reach country or state (for a state i consider both alaska and hawaii DX contacts)

I say that for i talk many times from nyc metro area to Tx or Florida or calif with semi regular ease ... so can that really be true DX then

Food for thought to say the least

 

[kd-5-bgt]

Try this out

Ham-Shack.com : Radio-Wave Propagation

 

[mackmobile43]

i think dx contacts should be from another state other than the one you live in to be counted as a dx contact. jmho

bring him back

 

[Wire Weasel]

I'm not aware that miles has anything to do with it. I've always heard-known-believed that DX was any contact using a skywave bounce. Hams have their own peculiar definitions of things and CB'ers may use other definitions.

South Carolina -to- California, say on 11 meters, can only be accomplished using a least 1 skywave bounce. That is, via propagation. Your signal leaves your antenna, bounces at least 1 time off of (whichever) layer of the ionosphere, then comes down somewhere else. That is skywave propagation. Your signal is traveling a {long distance} DX stands for Long Distance.

So to some, and to me, talking from South Carolina to California is DX. Any direct line-of-sight, (local) communication can never be DX even if it's 100 miles.

So it just depends on whose set of definitions you wish to pay attention to. The ham is a funny animal capable of numerous amusing mannerisms and characteristics. Hams also call chickens "pullets" and rabbits "peters." Whereas all of the other normal people would just call a chicken a chicken and a wabbit a wabbit.

 

[KingCobra_CDX882]

The short answer is basically..

Dx is NOT DX unless your RF has traveled decidedly beyond what is possible for it to travel in a line of site manor..

in a less short answer i would add that your rf would require a minimum of 2 bounces off of any upper layer of our atmosphere ..
(or any contact made locally or long distance if done with a EME or earth sun earth or earth other planet back to earth...these are of course quite hard to do...as yet i have not taken the time to try any of these types of DX contacts )

for cb (27 mhz ) i would never consider it Dx unless it is gone a minimum of 500 miles....but typically 1500 miles and beyond..

for vhf i would never consider it Dx until at least 250 miles ( typically 350+ miles ) within a simplex contact..

for uhf it would need be a minimum of 200 miles (typically 250+ miles for simplex contacts )

I do not use 23cm or higher frequency's all that often..so as yet do not have a feel for what would be considered DX distances on those frequency's

 

[TonyV225]

Canada to the US would be funny considering one could stand on the stand on the line that divides them or stand in both countries at the same time LMAO!! Does that mean Mack and I could make a DX contact just by talking or shouting back and forth without a radio??

 

[443]

Surely some people in this thread are "kidding"... Not knowing what a DX contact is, or how to "define it", etc... And people that never use an amplifier... I know it's not necessary in all circumstances, if you are high enough you can receive a distant station, then likely you can talk to them without an amplifier, but depends on how far exactly they are, and what their specific noise level at that time is.... 2 people can hold a conversation (QSO) say, for example, 100 miles apart, with low noise level, and only legal power, if antenna's/receivers are good on each end... But what if the noise level is up on one end or both, it happens, and you need something extra to continue the QSO more S-units to overcome the increasing noise levels... My powerlines do this from time to time dependent on temperature outside, and wind levels, humidity levels etc....

As far as making DX contacts with low power, yes, it's easy, when noise level and conditions are good for it. I hope using a "linear" wasn't illegal when I was doing CDX contests back in the day, because I was running 1200PEP on SSB via my M103, which added even a little more gain. Rarely could I not make a contact if I really wanted too...

 

[mackmobile43]

Canada to the US would be funny considering one could stand on the stand on the line that divides them or stand in both countries at the same time LMAO!! Does that mean Mack and I could make a DX contact just by talking or shouting back and forth without a radio??

Yeah I'll get out on my front porch a shout breaker, breaker 225 you got your ears on and if I can't make contact I'll try the megaphone to amplify my signal.