In this issue of “DX Info” I will review some of the DXing hints and tips which I shared in 2025.
SOLAR FLARES Take note of Solar Flares and activity which can be found on the left side of this site under “Band Conditions”, they are a huge part of successful DXing on HF!
OKAY…but what does the info in that side bar mean?
When you find yourself on a solar weather website and you see three measurements have you ever wondered what they actually mean? The three main items you want to pay attention to are the SFI (Solar Flux Index), the K-Index and the A-Index. You may want to print the following for future reference.
SFI – Summarization of the Sun’s Radiation Output
70 – Not Good
80 – Good
90 – Better
100+ – Best
A – INDEX – Daily Average of Magnetic Activity
A = 0 – 7 Quiet
A = 8 – 15 Unsettled
A = 16 – 29 Active
A = 30 – 49 Minor storm
A = 50 – 99 Major storm
A = 100 – 400 Severe storm
K – INDEX is updated every 3 Hours
K = 0 Inactive
K = 1 Very quiet
K = 2 Quiet
K = 3 Unsettled
K = 4 Active
K = 5 Minor storm
K = 6 Major storm
K = 7 Severe storm
K = 8 Very severe storm
K = 9 Extremely severe storm
LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN – Another extremenly important thing to remember is to “LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN” to the DX operators instructions and pay attention if the DX station is working “Split Frequency”! You will never work them if you call on the DX frequency….all you will do is get the rest of the DX community angry at YOU!!
GREY LINE – When working the low bands usually the best time is before and after the “Grey Line”! What is the Grey Line? Well using it over the years to my advantage I could take the time to explain in depth but seeing that many have already done so I will direct you to check out those videos and explanations. Simply do a search for “Grey Line DXing” to view or read about the Grey Line in Amateur Radio.
METEOR SHOWERS – Check 6M during meteor showers, it is a fun time to work other 6M stations on meteor scatter! Meteor scatter (MS) in ham radio uses the brief, ionized trails of meteors burning up in the atmosphere to reflect VHF/UHF signals, creating short-lived communication paths ( burst communications ) for contacts over hundreds of miles, often using voice and digital modes like FSK441 (WSJT-X) on 6 & 2 meters during meteor showers for long-distance. Meteor scatter communications has been used by ham radio VHF enthusiasts for many years. Using meteor scatter propagation enables ham radio contacts to be made over distances up to about 2000 km on the VHF bands. No long QSO’s just short contacts…interesting and fun!
LINGO and “Q” CODES – Commonly used lingo or words and “Q” codes used in DXing** and Contesting.
DX**: Refers to a long-distance contact or a rare station.
CQ: A general call to any station for a contact (QSO).
Work: To successfully make contact with another station.
Simplex – Single Frequency, without a repeater acting as a middleman
Split – transmitting on one frequency while receiving on another, typically used by rare DX stations to manage huge “pileups” (many callers).
Pileups – many stations calling at same time.
CW: Continuous Wave, which typically refers to Morse Code operation.
Rag chew: A long, informal conversation.
Rig: The amateur radio equipment/transceiver.
UTC: Universal Time Coordinate – Also known as Greenwich Mean Time (GMT); Coordinated Universal Time; Zulu time (Z). NOTE: Always use UTC time! UTC time is 4 hours ahead of our local time in winter and 3 hours ahead in summer. Example: Local being 7:00AM Local the time would be 11:00AM UTC, 12:00PM “Noon” would be 16:00 UTC or Zulu. Also use the 24-hour clock (military time) format. Example: 15:00 is 3:00 PM, 14:00 is 2 PM, 18:00 is 6 PM and 21:00 is 9 PM.
73: Best regards. Use just 73 not 73s.
88: Best regards to a XYL or YL
Q-Codes (Standardized Abbreviations)
The Q-code was originally developed for commercial radio-telegraph communication but is widely used by hams for both Morse code and voice.
QRZ: When a station finishes a contact and is ready for the next one, essentially asking “Who’s next?” or “I’m ready for calls!” , Who is calling me” , “You are being called by…
QSL: I acknowledge or confirm receipt of contact (often a physical postcard sent to confirm a contact).
QSO: A conversation or contact.
QSY: Change frequency.
QTH: Location (e.g., “What is your QTH?” or “My QTH is Kensington”).
QRP: Low power operation.
See the complete list of printable “Q” codes and Phonetic Alphabet here: https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Get%20on%20the%20Air/Comm%20w%20Other%20Hams-Q%20Signals.pdf
Upcoming Events….
Jan 4, 2026
8:00 PM
VE1CFR – 146.850 Mhz
Jan 7, 2026
8:00 PM
VE1CRA – 146.670 Mhz
Jan 14, 2026
7:00 PM
Summerside Clubhouse
Have a great 2026 and good DXing – Ken VY2RU