Why trans-Atlantic DX doesn't particularly excite me

Disclaimer:


This is probably another one of my unpopular opinions, but I will continue with all best intent;  there may be others who feel the same.    No disrespect or ill feeling towards our North American friends intended.


For many in the UK, it seems to be the pinnacle of eleven metres DXing to work "states and Canada".   Indeed you detect the excitement in many people's voices on other parts of the band when they say "the yanks are coming in".   Suddenly the T5 goes dead and half a continent rush down to 385LSB.    .   

Perhaps a petty complaint, but....  I don't understand why specifically UK stations feel the need to mangle their callsigns into a US style one.   E.g.   Eighty-One, Oxford, England.   It seems to be mainly the British who do this, the continentals just go in with their regular callsign.   

My main issue with working 27.385 is that is quite chaotic.   OK, so is the T5, but on T5 people for the most part follow the system of put out the call or reply to a call, then QSY.   On 385 it just seems to be "all against all".   Most QSOs seem to take place on the the same channel.   You go back to a station, think they are talking to you, try to get them to QSY elsewhere and it turns out they are speaking to someone else.   All the normal etiquette and practice seems to go out of the window.   Most of my successful QSO's with US and Canada have been on the T5, or they have called in on nets elsewhere.

A lot of people love to work the transatlantic skip, and best of luck to them.   But for me, I'm happier working a shorter distance but something a bit unusual.    For instance, I've worked someone out on a ship in the Arctic circle, and an Iraqi station.    Shorter distance, but more satisfying than just yet another stateside contact.

I love working the US and Canada by the way and had lovely conversations that way, but I just cannot be bothered with 27.385 LSB.   Happy to work any US or Canadian stations who dare venture up to T5 .   

Could mods please move this to 11m DX discussion?

For those of us that got into radio recently (2016) I think it may be the surprise of hearing a US Voice or to even know they could be there. It quickly became my goal to work the US on HF when I started and I did it for the first time at the end of 2019. Of course now as the sunspots increase and Cycle 25 heats up it becomes that little bit easier.

I suppose if you’re a seasoned DX’er it becomes less of something to achieve. Each to their own though friend.

Never used 27.385 lsb in my radio life.
Back when i was on cb years ago it was the 555 then qsy for me.
I chase the unusual places these days no matter where they are in the world.
Since going on hf i have contacted places i didn't know existed lol.

I often use .385 to make a call them move to another freq close by but I agree the stateside contacts over many years on 11 metres have become a bit boring..I'm sure some stateside ops feel the same working here too.
And those UK ops that go all "American" with their callsigns and even their way of talking do make me laugh..

It is funny how people change the way they talk.
A m8 of 30+ years talks totally different on radio no matter where in the world he is talking to.

Ha! Ha!

Always make me laugh too when a UK station suddenly breaks into a broken American accent whilst DXing Stateside.

But then I hear UK Hams suddenly take on broken accents when talking to our friends in Europe.
(Like a terrible version of that comedy 'Allo-'Allo.....listen carefully, I shall zay zis only once. )


Each to their own and although I might be privately giggling at my receiver end I'd never condone, berate or laugh anyone down personally. Especially if they are getting such joy from their activities.  


I'm grateful for anyone with a radio interest that takes the time for a QSO regardless of band, frequency, country or whatever and I hope I never bore of any particular aspect. The airwaves would be pretty dead otherwise.

If someone's remit to joy is shooting DX Stateside then good for them, some even enjoy the chaotic radio environment of a pile-up.

I’ve got a mate called Julian who becomes “Juliano” when working European stations.

i still like talking to the states but 385 is a bit competitive but it will get better when the cycle improves ...hopefully , regarding the accent thing if we spoke in a local dialect im sure people from different parts of the uk wouldnt understand everything never mind from different countries i have noticed if you can chuck in the odd word or phrase from another language they do appreciate it 

.

I've never heard of matching and pacing till now. I've always laughed to myself when I've heard one of our sales directors putting on a French or eastern European accent when talking to some clients on the phone and thought it must sound a bit patronising and that it really wasn't helping.. maybe I've been wrong thinking that then.

My foreign language skills have never been great. Back in the day 11m DXing helped me learn a little, like a few country's greetings and learned to count in Italian.. more than I grasped at school. Since I've returned I've been practicing a few words mostly goodbye/farewells.. ciao, пока-пока, or Ma Salama and few numbers for signal reports, but never start a contact with a greeting in their language as after doing so once the other operator came back in entirely in their language and it was kinda embarrassing understanding almost nothing

As far the US specifically, I don't copy their format, I stick to mine. Any slight American accent from me is natural not mimicked and rarely surfaces as lived in Gloucestershire and Wiltshire most of my life. Like some others, never had great success with US contacts on mid block, all US QSLs from the past have been via the freeband. The mids can be fun to listen to and have the odd try for US, but especially in the peak of cycle in the past that block has just been solid noise. Will be interesting to see how much noise there will be at the next peak when they get into their newly allowed FM on the block too.

Try 'matching and pacing' a vocal cadence with an Afro-Caribbean when you clearly aren't and see how far it gets you.

It definitely won't promote calm.


If I had a Stateside QSO suddenly break into a terrible English accent it would be 'professionally' or otherwise known as a case of good old fashioned "taking the p*ss".

Victor wrote:

Try 'matching and pacing' a vocal cadence with an Afro-Caribbean when you clearly aren't and see how far it gets you.

It definitely won't promote calm.

Afro-Caribbean people are usually very chilled people, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJ_Derek had a lot of success locally and used Jamaican patois all the time.

On the other hand, quite why you would want to mimic an American accent is beyond me.

matching and pacing, is that not changing the volume and tempo? to de-escalate confrontation, not mimicking accents, which would escalate the situation.
regards
mark

Victor wrote:

Try 'matching and pacing' a vocal cadence with an Afro-Caribbean when you clearly aren't and see how far it gets you.

It definitely won't promote calm.


If I had a Stateside QSO suddenly break into a terrible English accent it would be 'professionally' or otherwise known as a case of good old fashioned "taking the p*ss".

Always makes me laugh hearing the Americans impersonate us, such as on the Simpsons.   A kind of hybrid of Victorian cockney street urchin, with a bit of RP thrown in, and the obligatory tea reference.

Hee, yeah that's the sort of stuff right there Chris.


Another enjoyable posting from you and always remember that's it's apparent differences of opinion that makes the world the wonderful place it really is.

(Plus when everyone rushes down to the 385 it makes the T5 a bit more workable. )

I cause a wince from most contacts on HF. English accent, Canadian callsign. 
I remember back before covid, when I had a proper "go to job". Some mornings, in the car, I would open up my local repeater here to a linked UK one, Have a chat with some Brits, like I used to when I was a Brit!  After, when I closed the connection, the amount of comments from locals here, that enjoyed the banter was amazing. As for the 11 meter band, not used it for years now. But when I did, I would just find a clear channel, and call CQ till I got a response. Worked much better that way. I do enjoy working the UK though.

Hi Jeff, hope you're keeping well mate.


Great to hear your Canadian locals love to hear voices on air no matter where they come from. Great that you're there to add to it all too. (Loving your repeater story.)

Mind you I bet you all get some knock from your American neighbours adding 'Eh?' to the end of every sentence whilst laughing.
(Nothing wrong if it's only a bit of friendly banter.)


All the best to you and for the new year ahead,
Victor

The reasons why # are shortened is its easier as the place is chaos. 

Its far easier shouting 3969 southern UK standing by than giving the ol cq cq bollox

As for putting an accent on im with you there as its weird, the yanks do it as well though so it goes both ways

reason why i use triple 8 Scotland is most USA ops i have spoken with dont know division numbers and dont really care

Above two posts both highlight the reason I don't like to work 27.385.  I can't be bothered working stations who can't be bothered to learn or look up a few division numbers.    It's a bit harsh to describe calling CQ as "b*****ks", I call it operating properly.     

Anyhow, it's horses for courses.  Don't mind having the odd listen on 27.385 but I rather work T5 and work North American operators using proper callsigns and QSYing to a clear frequency for a QSO.  And it's not all about working America, lots of other interesting divisions to work too.

26uk81 wrote:

Above two posts both highlight the reason I don't like to work 27.385.  I can't be bothered working stations who can't be bothered to learn or look up a few division numbers.    It's a bit harsh to describe calling CQ as "b*****ks", I call it operating properly.     

Anyhow, it's horses for courses.  Don't mind having the odd listen on 27.385 but I rather work T5 and work North American operators using proper callsigns and QSYing to a clear frequency for a QSO.  And it's not all about working America, lots of other interesting divisions to work too.

i do radio for fun and talk with anyone and dont discriminate if they dont know division numbers or call cq or not, so your saying if you hear a unit xxx Australia or Japan etc call you couldnt be bothered talking to them ?? , i go where the dx is and 9/10 when the mid band is full of USA up on the triple there are very few USA ops and for me it would be boring and not many in the log waiting to see if he called the correct cq and used a division number , each to their own

888 jim wrote:

26uk81 wrote:

Above two posts both highlight the reason I don't like to work 27.385.  I can't be bothered working stations who can't be bothered to learn or look up a few division numbers.    It's a bit harsh to describe calling CQ as "b*****ks", I call it operating properly.     

Anyhow, it's horses for courses.  Don't mind having the odd listen on 27.385 but I rather work T5 and work North American operators using proper callsigns and QSYing to a clear frequency for a QSO.  And it's not all about working America, lots of other interesting divisions to work too.

i do radio for fun and talk with anyone and dont discriminate if they dont know division numbers or call cq or not, so your saying if you hear a unit xxx Australia or Japan etc call you couldnt be bothered talking to them ?? , i go where the dx is and 9/10 when the mid band is full of USA up on the triple there are very few USA ops and for me it would be boring and not many in the log waiting to see if he called the correct cq and used a division number , each to their own

Of course I'd have a shout for an Australian, Japanese or US station, perhaps whilst rolling my eyes at their odd callsign, but I wouldn't bastardise my own callsign in the process.    However, I am just not interested in the chaos of 27.385.    Not saying other people shouldn't work it.   If you enjoy it, best of luck to you.