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Western Washington DX Club Propagation Festival

The Western Washington DX Club, in association with the Quarter Century Appliance Operators (QCAO), sponsors an annual festival to placate the Propagation Gods. Members of the two organizations meet at the palatial estate of Ward Silver, N0AX, in late summer (just before the "contest season") to observe ancient rites that have been handed down for almost 5 of earth's circumambulations of the sun.

Included in the solemn ceremonies is the initiation of new members into the Quarter Century Appliance Operators club. Here Dr. Beldar (aka N0AX) completes the arcane ritual of initiation with neophyte QCAO member Harry Lewis.

At the climax of the festivities, various and sundry items are sacrificed to appease the Propagation Gods so that they will provide us with favorable ionospheric conditions. Here we see the placement of sacrifices in the sacred altar. Items suitable for sacrifice include QSL cards of contesters at the ceremony, the Western Washington DX Club Roster of Members, IRCs, blank log sheets and rules from the major ARRL and CQ contests, small pieces of wire, resistors and capacitors, chunks of coax, plastic knobs from radios, and other similar items.

After the incineration of the offerings (sending the sanctified smoke into the holy ionosphere), the ashes are collected in the sacred urn for storage during the contest season. Everyone joins in this activity to bring favor to their personal shacks. Here we see N7LOX, N0AX, VE7SZ, and K7SS participating in this most holy portion of the rites.

This is followed by bizarre facial mutilation by the devotees. Here we see them disfiguring their faces by wiping the cold ashes on their foreheads and cheeks. One particularly devout member, Steve, K7LXC, (in the Hawaiian shirt) is actually ingesting some of the ashes in hopes of a "clean sweep" of multipliers in the upcoming ARRL Sweepstakes.

The Believers hope that these acts of self-disfigurement and the sacrifices to the ionosphere will bring back the fabled Sun Spots and provide favorable conditions during contest weekends. Only time can tell if they have been successful.

Select Quarter Century Appliance Operators to get additional information on this worthwhile service organization.