Making Recordings Of Your DX - How Important?

This is another matter which keeps rearing its head from time to time and there are no simple answers to the questions it throws up. Two questions which immediately come to mind are:

1. How important is it to you to make recordings of your DX catches?
2. How important do you think it is to others so they can hear your DX?

For me, personally, I like to have the recorder running when I am DXing because I know there will be times in the future when I would love to hear that DX again and be reminded how it sounded and that it really did happen. For others, it provides proof that you really did hear that DX. But just how important is it for others to be able to hear your DX? Does it really matter if you don't?

No matter how much I ponder this matter I keep arriving at the same conclusion. If you are fortunate enough to hear something rare and exotic on your radio, consider that others might not believe you. This is an unfortunate part of our hobby. Why should others not believe you though? I put this down to two things:

1. Elitist DX groups.
2. DXers who have been found, and have admitted to, fabricating DX loggings.

Looking at the first thing: (sorry to bring up the "elitist" thing again) I immediately think of a well-known DX group who practically insist that DXers provide recordings of their better DX catches. This might be partly attributable to the second thing: that there have been a number of well-known DXers whom, over the years, have been found to be making up some of their DX loggings. Is it any wonder then that some DX groups want proof?

Unfortunately, not all DXers are able to record their DX. In years gone by the DXer would use a tape recorder, but recording times were restricted to the length of the cassette tape. Some might have used larger, 1/4 inch tape, which could be slowed down to make the recording times longer. As technology advanced into the digital age we moved into minidisc and dat tape, but these could be expensive. Videotape recorders came to the rescue to a large degree, being able to record up to four hours on a VHS tape. When these advanced to have variable speeds you could have twelve hours of recording time. But how would you extract the part of the recording which contained your exotic DX catch? It all became very time consuming.

Then we entered the computer age, but did this solve the problems associated with extended recording times and has the DXer been able to use the technology to good effect?

The problem with computer technology, as I see it, it has reached such a level of advancement that most people have difficulty understanding it. It is too complicated for most of us. Younger people who are brought up with computers at schools have a better understanding of the technology at an earlier age. Older people, or people who were not brought up with computer technology, often have considerable difficulty understanding it. Not only this, but you almost need to be a fully qualified audio engineer to understand the intricacies of sound cards, sample rates and audio production software.

So, in conclusion, and as I said, there are no easy answers. But sadly we live in times that, should you be the lucky one to receive a low powered Bolivian signal on medium wave, or a multi-hop sporadic E signal on band 2, you have to expect that some DXers might challenge your reception and demand proof.

Some useful links which look at computer audio recording methods:


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