Spokane DX Association

I’m happy to announce that Emmett McCormick (NA7EM) with the Idaho DX Association (IDXA) has stepped up to the plate to be our chairman for the 2021 Pacific Northwest DX Convention! It is really nice to have members from IDXA take the lead on this and I’m looking forward to a great convention!
I wanted to know a little more about Emmett and the IDXA so I sent him a few questions to know a bit more about our chairman and the club:
How long have you been DX’ing and what is your main interest?
I’ve been DXing for 27 years. I love CW and the older digital modes.
Do you do any contesting, and if so, do you have a favorite?
I contest anytime I can. I’m not a big name contester using full power and large antenna arrays, I just enjoy the thrill of making contacts. I’ve always run barefoot or QRP.
I’m a SOTA participant and active goat packer….I’m on the board for the North American Pack Goat Association to actively fight legislators threatening goat access to public lands……so WG0AT is not the only one out there playing radio with goats.
What kind of equipment and antennas do you have at the QTH?
I run a Yaesu FTDX-3000 barefoot into a 6-BTV currently. I’m in the process re-erecting a 70’ Rohn 45 tower with a TH7DX beam. More antennas are planned for the future but I just recently moved to my new QTH on some acreage.
When was the IDXA first formed, and who started it?
The Idaho DX Association is a fully incorporated, non-profit, ARRL Affiliated, amateur radio organization formed in 2011 by Emmett McCormick, NA7EM. With a passionate interest in DX contesting, the IDXA club mission is to create unity among Idaho contesters, promote the spirit of amateur radio through respectful contesting, and to contribute to the overall goodwill worldwide.
How many members does the club currently have?
We currently have 40 members, although with any club, only a handful are actively submitting scores.
Do you have monthly meetings? If so, when and where?
We meet quarterly, usually in Lewiston, but also run a teleconference during the meeting to include all of our members statewide. The meetings are announced on the website and via our groups.io page.
I had the chance to chat with Emmett a bit during the convention in Everett a couple of weeks ago and I believe our convention is in good hands! But like I mentioned at the start of this article, Emmett and the IDXA has “stepped up to the plate”, meaning this is a team effort for it to be a success. Emmett and Randy Foltz (K7TQ) will be attending our September meeting to talk to us about the 2021 convention and the initial planning.
Article by John Gager – K7KB