11. it is common for dx stations to say "west coast only" or "east coast only." they forget the u.s. is a big country and there are many in the middle (0,5,8,9). this is like a u.s. iota station working a european pileup and saying, "ct, ea, f, and g only" and then saying, "ez, ra, uj, un only." this wouldn't make the dl, es, i, la, ly, oe, oh, ok, om, on, sm, yl, yo, yu etc etc etc very happy. (are you reading this dx stations?) anyway, it is hard to tell what is west coast or east coast (sometimes referred to as "the wall"). some people think 6's and 7's only are the west coast. so a guy in cheyenne, wy is west coast and a guy 40 miles south in ft collins, co (a 0) is not. doesn't make much sense does it? some think the east coast is 1's, 2's, 3's and 4's. if you are waiting for dx to say "midwest only" you will never work a country. you be the judge if omaha, nebraska or oklahoma city qualifies as west coast or east coast. i think the general consensus is the midwest is neither east or west coast and gets passed over unless there is a generic cq call. not fair? yeah, and it isn't fair that north dakota is colder than florida. it would be better if they said "east (or west) of the mississippi." needless to say, a zero answering a call for "west coast only" may generate some complaints from 6's and 7's. until the dx learns to say "midwest only" or "west of the mississippi" you're on your own here. i figure if the dx meant 6's and 7's only he'd say so. probably what they really mean is, "i would like to get beyond the east (west) coast wall calling me." if you are a 1, 2, 3, or 4 don't answer "west coast only" and if you are a 6 or 7 don't answer "east coast only." if you think that is a mess, the middle provinces of canada don't get a fair shot in either "by the numbers" or "by the coasts."
12. if you can't hear the station give his callsign or instructions then you can't work them. don't interrupt the pileup with dumb ass questions such as "who is the dx?" "who is the manager?" "where's he listening?" etc.
13. "work first, worry later" (wfwl). if you aren't sure if the station is real or a pirate/slim work them anyway. you can always figure out later if it was a waste of time. too often this has become "work first, listen later" (wfll) which is bad operating. listen and know what you are doing. nothing is more stupid than an operator asking, "who did i just work?" (the correct answer is "no one" because if you didn't get their call....you didn't work them. to get the call from someone else is an assisted, spoon-fed contact).
14. if you have already worked the guy, give someone else a chance. keeping a guy from working a new one so you can tell a dx station he is louder than he was yesterday makes you a dx pig. too often the dx pigs will say, "i just wanted to jump in here and tell you that you have a terrific signal today." the dx knows this; that's why he has a pileup.
15. if the dx is working pileups don't try to engage him in lengthy conversation. "so what rig are you running? how's the weather?" you probably really don't care and are just showing off to the 1,000s of hams waiting that you are an ass with a lot of money wasted on a huge station. if you really care about the weather and such then look it up on the internet.
16. if the dx station is having ragchews then don't interrupt for a contact. dx stations should be allowed to enjoy their hobby too. contacts with family and friends are part of that. it could be a missionary or serviceman who is having an important and rare contact home. they too may be chasing their own awards. don't be a jerk by interrupting every exchange with "break" just so you can get another country.
17. don't try to "help" a station. if the dx is having trouble copying a station and they say, "again?" do not help out. for example, if the dx station says "aa0 give me your suffix again" and you tell the dx "mz, mz" and the dx says "roger aa0mz", the dx station did not work aa0mz.....he just worked a guy relaying aa0mz and you just screwed someone out of a contact. keep quiet and let the dx work the station without your help. it is tempting to relay when you can hear both stations clearly but you are defeating the purpose of the contact. the purpose is to see if the dx can work a particular station, not to work you. don't "help" because you are too impatient and just can't wait for your turn. this makes you either a jerk, a dx pig, or a little of both.
18. if you won't say your callsign, whatever it is you have to say is not only illegal it is wrong. if what you have to say is right, you'd give your callsign. so....next time you have the urge to say "up! he's working split, idiot!" ask yourself if you are willing to say "this is (your callsign)" afterward. if not...shut your hole.
19. if a qso is going on frequency and you hear a dx station under it do not interrupt. do not shout over a new york station talking to a california station so you can work the pakistan station in the background. ask the stations if you can use the frequency if you want it that bad.
20. if you are on a frequency and have met there every thursday at 2200 for the last ten years, so what. if a dxpedition shows up there and someone asks you nicely to move, don't be an ass. it wouldn't hurt you to move or let the meeting go for a day. yes, the dx should ask if the frequency is in use. sometimes they don't hear you. being an ass to prove your point will only make you an ass.