DX clusters. Friend…or frustrating foe?
We live in a connected world where many people have permanent broadband access to the internet and to spotting clusters. Many hams use these DX clusters to assist in locating and working DX on the bands. I am one such ham and I would certainly not have worked all the DX I have done over the past few years without an ocassional helping hand from DX clusters. I do wonder though to what extend they can be considered a hams friend…or foe.
The reason I pose the question is this - for an amateur radio operator with a compromise antenna (such as I have) it is unlikely you will hear all of the stations spotted, even if others in your part of the world are reporting them as “loud here” or “59+20dB here”.
I know that to be true because I will often check out some of these spots to see if I can hear the spotted station and more often than not I can’t. This is a fact of life and I have learnt to live with it but it can be frustrating because it does detract from the simple enjoyment of tuning the bands and working what you hear.
Operating habits vary from one ham to another but I don’t think I’m the only one who would admit to becoming a bit of a DX cluster junkie. How many of us have a DX cluster window open on the shack computer…just in case something interesting gets spotted…? I know I often do.
Granted the DX cluster is a friend in as much as, if you can hear the spotted DX, you can work DX you might otherwise not have known was out there. It is also a frustrating foe of sorts when all it does is result in persistent band hopping listening for DX you can’t hear.
In those circumstances you would be much better off just tuning the bands the good old fashioned way and working those stations you can hear, even if they’re not exotic DX stations.
Hi Dean,
I can admit to being a cluster junkie, having a seperate laptop connected to psk reporter as well.
It is usefull, but once a spot is reported that station is often swamped, not so good for the QRP/wet string afficienado.
I therefore use it as a supplement to my tuning fingers and ears.
73 Paul.
Good point about the cluster spots leading to instant pile-ups Paul! All too true. But…don’t despair. I have done battle in many hefty pile-ups and you can get the contact. It’s not always easy but it is possible.
Good point too re using clusters as to supplement the tuning. The best pile-ups are those that develop just after you worked the station through tuning across his signal…and then spotting him on the cluster!
Cheers, Dean
Hi Dean,
I am a “Cluster Tart” too! I find the cluster an important tool in the world i live in today. Very busy in the shack with QSL work and i do not always have the time to tune around.
There are some problems we need Sysops to deal with, for example we need all clusters to be password protected to avoid spoof spots and to stop the abusers using the system. It will not stop it but it will help.
Like you i find that many times i am not able to hear the DX on the cluster even if a Ham nearby spotted it.
However - learning where certain DX operates is very important! We are all creatures of habbit. So that tomorrow at the same time you get on the freq to work the DX before he gets spotted
Tim, I agree entirely with your point about “not enough time”. I don’t get all that much time on the bands so when I do get the chance a quick check on the cluster is usually in order. If there’s a potential new one spotted I want to know. I’ve worked a lot of new ones over the past few years by doing that. If I have an hour on the radio I’ll gladly spend that hour to log one contact if it’s a new one. Other times I’m happy to tune and see what I can find…or even call CQ a while.
I also agree regards the cluster helping in identifying DX operating patterns. I’ll often check to see on what bands/frequencies DX is spotted and listen in on those frequencies to see if I can get a free call before pile-ups develop. I have also logged a few new ones this way.
73, Dean