LADIES & GENTLEMEN, DEAR FELLOW DX-ERS

It is a great honor for me to have the opportunity to give you a speech this evening. We are celebrating the Finnish DX Association at its 50years Anniversary. I would hereby convey my sincere and humble congratulation to FDXA at this very special occasion. Even more we will all enjoy the event together with the 41st EDXC Conference at the very same time. Actually the 5th one arranged here in Finland. This is a big handshake to the international DX-community in Europe. Let´s hope for long life to these both organizations.

 

We have on several occations here, heard about the history of FDXA during the first 50 years, from the start until today. Quite an achievement indeed.

 

During such a long period of time, it is natural that one try to remember how it all started and developed "to remember the past will help us to face the future" with open eyes and ears.

 

Allow me to remember some personal recalls of the past. DX-ing started in Finland more actively in the beginning of the 50´s. I myself started dx-ing in 1952, first of all after I read the dx-column in Swedish Teknikens Värld written by the world famous Arne Skoog. He was also the head for the dx-program Sweden Calling DX-ers over Radio Sweden. The development since those days has been tremendous. In the beginning we used common tube receiver, continuing along the years with communication receivers. We started to wonder what the antennas had for an impact for the reception. The development in this field still continue as we all know.

 

At those early days the main obstacle were the jamming stations, which was a hugh disturbance fact on the shortwave bands. But still we could catch some nice and small radiostations between the bands. Especially from Central America, Spain and so on. Very rare QSL´s were received by lucky dx-ers. Happy Station in Hilversum, Radio Luxemburg the Station of Stars, were often heard guests. Mediumwave dx-ing was also very popular area.

 

Radioclubs were started started in Finland, Helsingfors DX-Club in 1954, which was renamed to Finlands DX-Club in 1957 due to the fact we got lot of members from other parts of the country. The monthly dx-paper Attention was published thus given tips and dx-news to all. The Finnish speaking dx-club DX-Kerho Suomi started as we know in 1958 and grew even faster and bigger than the former mentioned Swedish speaking club and now FDXA is celebrating their Anniversary during the whole year.

 

DX-ing ment widely international contacts. Such contacts were taken already in the 50´s, mainly to the western hemisphere. Sweden was naturally the first one on the list. The early cooperation was very fruitful and the first contact was made with DX-Klubben Tellus in Söderhamn. May I introduce my good and old friend Claes-W.Englund who is here today. We have know each other over 50 years! Bengt Ericson and Bengt Dalhammar who is also present here today are also dx-ers from these early days. After them came many more Swedish clubs with whom we had very good relations and still have.

 

Contact with Denmark was taken in 1958 when undersigned made a journey together with Ture Olsson of the Gothenburg DX-Klubb to the World Exhibition in Brussel via Frederikshavn, were the Danish Shortwave Club International had their headquarter at this time. Their Chairman Niels Jacob Jensen arranged a DX-meeting and we met many of the famous Danish dx-ers. Since many many years the club is headed by their Chairman Anker Petersen who also is here today together with their longtime Editor-in-Chief for Shortwave News, Kaj Bredahl. Nice to see you guys in Finland again.

 

When Televison made it´s entrance on the scene in the beginning of the 60´s, many thought that this was the end of radiolistening, but luckely enough it didn´t kill the dx-hobby at all. I think instead, that the 60s, 70s and 80s were some Golden Years to us all who eagerly took the dx-hobby seriously. Anyway here in Finland.

 

Yours truly has been living and working abroad from 1960 to 2000 for 40years and obviously that with the dx-hobby had been on and off due to all moving from one country to another. But I was very lucky when I met O.Lund Johansen and Jens Frost from the World TV Handbook in early 1960, just when I and my family moved to Copenhagen and Denmark. They hooked me to become Freelance Editor and so it happend that I was editing the Latin American pages for 30 ears. That kept me on the dx-track for all the years, I never lost the contact with the hobby. It was a happy time together with Head-Editor Jens Frost, he was really a good guy. O.Lund-Johansen left the scene in 1962.

 

A lot could be said and told about the early days, but for sure the timelimit does´nt alove me to expand anymore.

 

DX-ing is facing more challences today, which are reflecting maybe negatively at the DX-hobby. Decreasing amount of members and new young dx-ers are not there at large to continue the hobby. IT and computers-plays seems to have occupied the youngsters minds. The same is happening for the radioamateurs as well and at all other sorts of clubactivities.

 

Maybe the only chance is, to catch these youngster by the new development of DX-ing by computers. If we get them to listen to radiostations via computers we could be on the way to hook them for further wonders of the hobby. As we heard today the latest news of SDR Radio = Software Define Radios, it is here now and today. Use the computers for the benefit of the DX-hobby. The new development is there for everyone who want to step into the international hobby of communication.

 

Who said : "to remember the past will help us to face the future" - Well, I just did...

 

To end this speech I will quote Roger Taylor´s Queen; from the Works 1984 - RADIO GAGA

I´d sit alone and watch your light
My only friend through teenage nights
And everything I had to know
I heard it on my radio
Radio

You gave them all those old time stars
Through wars of worlds - invaded by Mars
You made ´em laugh - you made ´em cry
You made us feel like we could fly

So don´t become some background noise
A backdrop for the girls and boys
Who just don´t know or just don´t care
And just complain when you´re not there
You had the time, you had the power
You´ve yet to have your finest hour
Radio

All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio goo goo
Radio ga ga
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio blah blah
Radio what´s new?
Radio, someone still loves you!

We watch the shows - we watch the stars
On videos for hours and hours
We hardly need to use our ears
How music changes through the years

Let´s hope you never leave old friend
Like all good things on you we depend
So stick around cos we might miss you
When we grow tired of this visual
You had your time - you had the power
You´ve yet to have your finest hour
Radio - Radio

All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio goo goo
Radio ga ga
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio goo goo
Radio ga ga
All we hear is Radio ga ga
Radio blah blah
Radio what´s new?
Radio, someone still loves you!

Thank you for listening!