"Let me begin by expressing my thanks to Les Rayburn for the fantastic job he has done during his time as Broadcast Test Coordinator. Needless to say, he will be a tough act to follow. I am also grateful for the trust that IRCA and NRC have placed in me as your new BTC. I promise to do the best I can to arrange lots of interesting tests to listen for, and to do all I can foster trust and goodwill between hobbyists and professional broadcasters.
Although you'll probably see my name most frequently associated with our efforts, I want everyone to know that I intend this to be very much a team effort. Here's a brief rundown of the immediate group I will be working with:
Brandon Jordan, right across town from me here in Memphis, will add his many years of experience and webmaster expertise through the DXTests.info site.
Longtime friend and former CPC Coordinator J.D. Stephens in Alabama will also add his help, and has already been energetically compiling lists of stations and personnel for us to approach for tests.
Although I haven't had a chance to talk directly with him, I hope Joe Miller will stay on the team, contributing his great skills in QSL card design when we are asked to provide this service to stations.
The same goes for Paul Walker. Les speaks highly of you Paul, and I hope I can also count on you for assistance in our efforts.
I've also had offers of assistance from several other friends and DXers like my old friend of many decades and fellow transplanted Hoosier Charles Taylor, Ken Lyon and others. As this effort progresses, you will probably be hearing from me.
Finally, Les Rayburn has promised to stay close by in the wings to watch and ensure I don't screw up too badly, and is prepared to offer his sage advice and counsel as needed.
Regarding Les, let me whet your appetites a little by saying he already has several great tests in the works from last season that I will be finalizing and announcing soon. These include stations in Utah, Nevada and New Mexico for starters, and perhaps another even more exciting DX possibility.
In conclusion, I'll ask for a few things from you the members of the DX community.
1. If you believe a station might be a good candidate for a test - e.g., a friendly C.E., a personal connection with the station or knowledge that they have tested in the past but it has been sometime ago, please forward that info to me ASAP.
2. If you have any ideas about how we can run this effort more efficiently or encourage more tests from the broadcasting community, please share your thoughts. I can't promise I'll adopt all your ideas, but I do promise to consider them with an open mind.
3. Finally, this endeavor can be a costly undertaking with regard to postage, mailing supplies, etc. If you can help out financially with postage or cash, please do so. I'm not sure about the best way to do this ... perhaps one of the club treasurer's needs to handle this then let me send a list of my expenses at the end of the season. Don't send anything yet until I sort this out, but please consider helping financially when the call goes out.
That's it for now. I'll share more as we move through the season. Thanks again for your trust, and good DX to everyone."
Jim Pogue, KH2AR
IRCA/NRC Broadcast Test Coordinator
