TRUE BLUE DXers CLUB

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"Because it' hard, not because it's easy" is the True Blue DXers Club's motto. "The one and only requirement is your personal commitment to pursuing and promoting DXing as a form of person-to-person amateur radio activity involving the use of radiotelegraphy (CW) or radiotelephony (SSB). Therefore, if you enjoy FT8, we wish you all the very best in your ham radio activity, but the TBDXC is probably not for you". See
https://www.tbdxc.net/ for more information.

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Letter from the TBDXC President, Petr OK1RP

Dear fellow DXers,

It is my pleasure to write to you and welcome you once again to the True Blue DXers Club.

This initiative is barely a week old, and has already attracted great support, together with – inevitably – some controversy. As I write, we have gathered as many as 273 members. In just over a week, we think this is a remarkable success and makes us optimistic about the future.

Any controversy seems to originate in people misunderstanding (or wanting to misunderstand…) what the Club stands for. In this respect, let me remind you once again that the TBDXC has NOTHING against FT8 or other digital modes, nothing against those who are using them and, especially, NOTHING against Joe, K1JT. The TBDXC applauds technical innovation, and we are glad that so many people have found a new way for their amateur radio passion.

Rather, the Club was created to bring together like-minded Amateurs who may feel that their ethos and approach to DX communication is dying off in the wake of the “digital revolution” brought about by FT8. Given the level of enthusiasm the Club has triggered in only its first week of existence, this is obviously not the case. Practically, the aim of the Club is to a) to promote the use of radiotelegraphy (CW) and radiotelephony (SSB) in long-distance communications on the amateur bands; and b) to encourage the continuous improvement and refinement of the human, personal skills needed to do so.

Our programme of work for the next few weeks includes:
1. Setting the club’s meeting frequencies
2. Promoting regular CW/SSB on-air nets
3. Developing the CW/SSB Award program
4. Finding ways to support beginners to develop top on-air operating skills.

Changes happen almost daily (frequencies have been set, for instance, and both the schedule for on-air nets and the first awards to be offered by the Club will be announced very soon). Therefore, you have to check the Website http://www.tbdxc.net regularly, as all updates will be published there.
Also, if the Club is to continue to grow, we count on your support for spreading the word” amongst amateurs who share our passion for person-to-person, long-distance amateur radio communication.

The vision for the True Blue DXers Club is to be a point of reference for the values we stand for, and to create a platform where like-minded hams can recognize each other and gather. In essence, the TBDXC is a group of people who take care of the Ham Radio legacy. We have our own way to do that – some may call us “traditionalists” – and therefore we have a clear identity. DXing is our lifestyle and we stand up for that.
Thank you again for joining the Club and for reading this letter. You will only receive occasional emails from us – please refer to the website for news and updates.

77 and Long Live DX!
Petr Ourednik OK1RP TBDXC #12

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Dear fellow True Blue DXers,

When I initially thought about the True Blue DXers Club, last July, I was dreaming to have perhaps 500 members by the end of the year. Three and a half months later we stand at over 750, and new members sign up every day. This is both an indication that I had had a good idea and, especially, that the time was ripe for such an initiative.

Now, we can bask in the modest glory of our growing numbers. Or, we can look ahead and find ways to make ourselves meaningful. Let’s remember that our overall aim is to promote human-to-human DX communication using CW and SSB. Less officially, between ourselves, shall we say that we want to do all we can to keep the CW and phone sub-bands alive, so that we and others can continue enjoying our passion?

One of the ways we have to do that is to launch our own awards programme. This is no easy thing to do, mainly because there is an award for absolutely everything these days.

Still, we managed to come up with four ideas which reflect the specificity of the Club, promote DX excellence using traditional means and recognises the activity of those striving to keep up the activity on HF bands.

Here are the basic concepts:

- Worked All True Blue. QSO with 10% of the current membership, as announced by the website. At the moment of writing, for instance, the membership stands at 756, so contacts with 75 different members would be required. An online members database is currently being worked on, and search facility should be available in all major log programs.
- CW DX Excellence and SSB DX Excellence. QSO with 200 DXCC countries in a calendar year (365 days between first and last QSO).
- MILLION MILES Award. Recognises efforts at increasing everyday CW and phone activity. Exchange WW Locators, work out the distance between stations and tally up one million miles during one calendar year but only during weekdays (in order to exclude contest QSO).
- DX ULTIMATE Award. Like the ARRL Grid Square challenge, but open-end, that is no time limits, and CW/SSB only (mixed mode, no digital). Basic award at 500 Grid Squares confirmed, Honor Roll at 1,000. Honor Roll list published and regularly updated on the website, with current totals.

In order to finalise the proposals and to roll out the awards programme, we are looking for an Award Manager. Tony, IZ2ESV, who had initially volunteered, remains fully engaged with the Club, but owing to other commitments, cannot fulfill the role now.

The ideal candidate has 3/4 hours of time per week to dedicate to this activity and excellent written English communications skills. He or she must be highly organised and capable of working in autonomy. He or she will maintain regular contact with myself and Petr OK1RP, the Club President.

If you are interested, please drop a mail to peteparisetti@gmail.com with a few of paragraphs about yourself, your ham radio activity and why you think you are the right candidate.

This is obviously a volunteer position, therefore non-remunerated. The selection process is completely informal – basically Petr and myself looking at any candidate we may have, perhaps have a Skype chat with a couple, and then make a decision.

We hope to hear from at least some of you!

Meanwhile, thank you for your continued support.

73 Pete MM0TWX
TBDXC Founder and COO