Re: Radio DXing question

["A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyross.com>]

On 23 Aug 2001, at 9:51, Adam Rivers wrote:

> I have a general question. Would it be fair to do DXing with an amplified
> antenna. I'm going to buy one so I can get stations from Providence and
> Boston (both are already fringely audible), because i'm sick of all the
> local stations.. they aren't as good as the ones in Providence and Boston.
> I just have that question to ask anyone who will answer for an opinion
> about DXing.

Well, a number of people have replied by telling you that amplified 
antennas aren't very good.  I can't amplify on those comments.  but no 
one seems to have addressed your question on fairness.  I'm not a DX 
hobbyist, but so far as I understand it, whatever receiving devices you 
can use to pull in a signal are fair game.  

Once, back in the 1960s, when WMUA at UMass was a 10-watt 
station, we learned that we had been picked up at Westover AFB.  
Since it was rather hard to hear us much beyond Amherst at that time, 
we were all amazed.  Then we learned that whoever had picked us up 
had used some pretty fancy military equipment to do it.  We lost our 
inflated respect for our 10-watt signal, but I don't see anything wrong 
with his use of whatever he could to pick up the signal.

Seems to me that when you make a reception report, you usually say 
what equipment you're using, which gives others a realistic picture of 
what you've done.  I suppose it's a bigger achievement to pick up some 
difficult DX with lesser equipment, but you use what you have.  Using an 
amplified antenna, if it helps any, is no different from using a bigger 
antenna or a more sensitive receiver.

I'm spending some time on this because, when you told us your age a 
couple of days ago, it brought back all sorts of warm memories of my 
own radio listening at your age.  I hope you're having as much fun with it 
as I had.  I suspect that radio isn't as interesting as it was back then, 
but on the other hand, I would have loved to have had a group like this to 
access.  Then again, maybe I would have been more into computers 
and less into radio.




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 A. Joseph Ross, J.D.                           617.367.0468
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