The discussion in thread “Minimum distance for WRL DX" showed how differently the term “DX” is understood and how controversial the desire is for how it should be set in WRL.
Therefore, I propose the following:
1) There is a default setting for “DX” that provides a useful result regardless of location worldwide.
2) This default setting can be indvidually changed in the personal settings of each user.
My proposal for discussion is:
Regarding 1 (default setting):
For HF and lower: DX is any station that is not located in the same country and is more than 2,000 miles away.
For VHF and higher: DX is any station that is not located in the same country and is more than 200 miles away.
Regarding 2 (personal settings):
Whether a DX station may also be in your own country (if the minimum distance applies) can be switched on and off.
The minimum distances can be changed individually.
A list can be created of prefixes that should not be displayed as DX. Example: If a Canadian ham does not want hams from the US to be displayed as “DX”, he can enter the following in his exclusion list:
K, N, W, AA, AB, AC, AD, AE, AF, AG, AH, AI, AJ, AK, AL
(Whether this example makes sense is another question … Because in this example, the US overseas territories in the Pacific and Caribbean (with prefixes AH, KH, WH) are also filtered out.)
This is my feature request to discuss and open for any better solutions that meet the needs of WRL users.
I think this is a reasonable feature request! Based on the other thread your right, there does seem to be varying understandings of the term ‘dx’ by various users. I’ll copy your message and add it to our ticket system for opening it up to a discussion for a possible mini feature! Thanks for all your doing to help better WRL!
Good suggestion, however: Default Setting 1 should be as it is now - Dx=different country regardless of distance. This is the commonly used definition in USA and current default on WRL. Requiring a minimum distance and not in-country options are captured in Default 2.
I recognize the desire not to make the USA the center of the conversation, but the fact is that this is the definition that many WRL users - and many amateur radio users - are accustomed to. Note the comments in the previous thread supporting this definiton.
We would also have to recognize how this would affect the DX Leaderboards. What if someone sets their minimum distance to 200 miles on HF? Would we need a “minimum minimum?”
For some of us that live closer to a border, the distance can be a non-starter. I would prefer the “not your DXCC number” and have an exclusion table that you could add DXCC numbers to if so desired.
That away if folks are wanting outside the North American or USA contacts for DX, the exclusion would be 291 for the lower 48 and 6 for Alaska, 110 for Hawaii and so on.
That would keep us aligned with the ARRL DXCC and give others the ability to specify their own. If distance is a preference for other operations, then the ability to specify a distance could be a secondary selection and satisfy that requirement/request.
73
KJ5FWC
I absolutly agree.
But exact this is a key argument why DX can’t be only “different country”. In that case, I would be very fortunate: living in a small country, DX would start in every direction from my location at a distance of 100 miles. No US ham or Canadian ham could compete with my situation. It would simply be unfair to them.
Good idea. Using DXCC numbers instead of prefexes in the individuell exclusion list seems to be the better solution.
But it can be, and it is. It’s an accepted definition by many users. I don’t think it’s a perfect definition, as it is relatively easy for me to get a Canadian QSO. But it is essentially the default definition used by many operators, and I think it would be a mistake to not allow users to apply it to their QSO logs.
WRL would be better received and integrated into the amateur radio community if it allows for a variety of uses, including the “out of country only” DX definition, regardless of how we individually feel about the logic of the definition. Other logging programs use this definition.
The ability of a European operator to get more DX QSOs on the internal leaderboard is not a concern of mine. I’m more concerned with the actual use of WRL and its ability to attract and retain users.
Your earlier suggestion using two defaults was good, because it allows for other definitions used around the world. Those who want to use a minimum distance would be covered by your second default suggestion. Default 1 simply needs to be modified to allow the simple out-of-country definition used by operators and competitor logging programs/apps.
EDIT: It may be that other logging programs, and perhaps WRL, use QSOs to a different DX entity to identify a DX QSO, which in not necessarily out of country as I stated. For example, Hawaii and Alaska are DX for an operator in the continental USA. It’s not a perfect definition but one we should at least have as an option.
If it helps, the ARRL DXCC contest uses DX Entities to define DX, as does POTA for its “DX Hunter” awards. This may be a place to start. Or is this what we are already using in WRL?
Thank you for constructively reviewing my suggestion. I like your argument in your second-to-last post, where you point out the pros and cons. I now understand your concerns.
I agree. WRL must meet the needs of its users.
I am realizing that “DX” has two complete different aspects:
I am aiming for a DX award (DXCC Award, POTA DX Award, etc.). Then WRL should show me what is DX according to these awards.
I am aiming for a long-distance connection. Then WRL should not show me the nearest station just across the border.
This could be a possible solution. But instead “out-of-country” I would prefer out-of-dxcc-entity. This seems to me to cover the needs better.
In addition to this, I stand by my suggestion that it would be nice, excluding further DXCC entities in the personal settings would be available (The original proposal referred to countries. However, DXCC entities are better here too). EDIT: The same request is also made in this thread.
73 Pepe
PS. @K4AZE : Please also consider Jack’s and my ideas of these later postings.
For example, I love holycluster.org for spotting. Why? I can turn off US entirely and not see any spots in the US. They have filters that I can manipulate. Same with POTAplus. I just turn off US. For me, I don’t want to see US entities clogging up my clusters. Also with holycluster.org I also have the ability to turn off any spots from outside North America.
My only request is that I can turn off USA. I don’t want to see USA spots on the cluster, even if technically they are DX, for me in Canada, the ability to not have a cluster filled with US spots is essential, that is why I use Holy Cluster, I can filter out US.
