I have been wondering whether to make this post as I know it will probably come across in the wrong way, but here are a couple of things I have been pondering lately.
I was browsing through a well-known DX club's printed bulletin a few months ago, reading through the various articles and browsing their DX loggings section, and it got me wondering to myself if the traditional paid subscription type of hobby radio club still has a place in our society.
This is probably going to read like a rant, but I hope not. I am not criticizing DX club/s in general, but two thoughts keep coming back to me:
1. Is there still a place in today's society for the traditional "paid subscription" type of DX radio club.
2. Sharing loggings in realtime so everybody benefits: Do you mind other people getting DX tips from you?
Back to the DX bulletin I was reading: The first thing which crossed my mind was how 'elitist' the bulletin seemed. Some of today's DX clubs and societies began 20 or more years ago. We didn't have the internet back then and online magazines and DX forums wouldn't have been considered as an option by most of them.
In the late 90s, a few groups were forward-thinking enough to look at possibilities of going 'electronic' and ultimately ditching their printed publication in favour of something free and more accessible to everybody. The British FM & TV Circle was one such group, now simply known as "Skywaves".
The British FM & TV Circle did start out by having a paid subscription system, which worked perfectly well. Once the internet started becoming popular, we soon introduced a free pdf version of our DX magazine so people could download it free of charge. Those who still preferred to have a 'hard copy', delivered by post, could still do this, but the printing costs which had to be met. No profits were made.
A year or two after Skywaves became electronic, most of the original paying members were taking advantage of the free pdf version. As expected, the number of those paying to receive the posted version decline. At the time, I remember a certain co-ordinator of a well known medium wave DX club, publically stating in their DX bulletin, that the move from 'printed' to 'electronic' had caused the downfall of the British FM & TV Circle! This is totally incorrect and I have no idea whay they reached this conclusion and also stated such. Or have I? Going digital and becoming free had the exact opposite effect! The group became known simply as "Skywaves" and its publication became fully 'public', thus developing into a much larger and global community as a result. 'Membership' was open to everybody, free of charge, and everybody could help each other in 'realtime' as a result! What could be better?
I don't have a problem with paid membership groups, personally. I'm a bit of a traditionalist myself when it comes to having a printed bulletin you can touch and feel. I was actually slightly sceptical myself when it came to migrating the Skywaves bulletin from 'printed' to 'electronic' as it was an unknown, but it has worked very well indeed so far, far better for everybody and in many ways! Well, apart from one individual - the very last person who was in regular receipt of the printed bulletin. We continued this until the end of the year, but then decided to pull the plug on it completely.
The comments made by that medium wave DX club were rather cruel and not called for. I still cannot imagine why on earth they continue to insist that members paying for the printed version of their bulletin if they only wish to receive the pdf version. Surely that should be free? Why would there even need to be a charge for a free digital publication if propit were not in mind? Well, that's their prerogative I suppose, but I think it's completely wrong. Just my opinion.
When I post my loggings in the FM List or MW List, my loggings are then shared, so other DXers can see what I have heard and when I have heard it. If they so wish, they can then check the bands at the same time as me to see if they have heard the same thing. This is mutually beneficial to us all. I usually always give credit to the original logger if I receive something thanks to another DXer's logging.
I have to ask myself "Do I understand why DXers want to keep loggings to themselves?" I think I 'get it', in a way. Coming from an amateur radio perspective, there are DX contests where people collect totals in order to come top of a league table or to win a certificate, etc. They call it Radio Sport and I see the fun in this. I have entered such DX contests myself for the fun of it, though I haven't come close to topping any table. I do understand that side of the hobby, but to keep loggings to yourself? Well, people clearly do and I suppose I shouldn't knock that too heavily. Each to their own, but there's so much benefit for us all when everything is shared. DXing is a great hobby and it's such a shame that a few do not wish to share. Would you mind other DXers receiving a rare catch you had one day?
Some years ago, I received a Brazilian station on 1470. I'm fairly sure it was a 'European First' and I only received this thanks to another DXer having received it himself. I still had a recording of that particular overnight session and checked the frequency on hearing the good news. I too had the same station at the same time! I thus concluded that this was now a joint European First. The originating DXer was not amused! He was furious that I did this and still managed to claim the European First solely for himself. Other DXers also agreed that what I did was completely wrong. I was chastised for this in no uncertain terms.
Looking back at this, I believe the originating DXer should definitely be able to claim the European First as it was he who spotted it. It's all about giving credit where the credit is due. Had it not been for him, I probably wouldn't have heard this station. He was King. But am I right to take the view that there is some form of snobbery involved here? I suppose it all boils down to giving him that original 'credit'. Had it not been for him. etc. I was thankful that he told me. Oh well, each to their own.
So, just what are the pros and cons of having a closed group system in a DX club? I've stuck my oar in and given my opinion here, but I don't expect everybody to agree with the above. What are your opinions? Especially if you disagree? Please tell me why. We all have different views and it's good to talk and get a balance.
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