THE HISTORY OF THE ELECTRONIC DX PRESS Originally published in the EXP, edition number 200, January 13, 2001

The EDXP is a descendent of the "DX Press", which was first issued in January 1986 as a print publication, as a special service of the Australian Radio DX Club. It was issued each fortnight only to those members who had contributed to the Club newsletter, and provided SW news and information in advance of the main monthly magazine.

It was put together by Mick Ogrizek and myself .

The DX-Press ran for some ten years as a print publication. During 1995, we had set up a trial scheme which allowed us (ARDXC) to exchange SW news and information via E-mail with a few DX Clubs, using new technology, as a logical outcome of the early, crude "bulletin board services".

In early 1996, some of us found it untenable to continue to do this work for the ARDXC, and I chose to terminate my responsibilities as the "SW News" editor and "Media Producer" editor with the ARDXC. At the time, we were also producing regular DX programs for ARDXC over international SW stations, and these energies were then transferred and absorbed into the new "Electronic DX Press", which became a venture independent of the ARDXC.

The EDXP was actually the "E-DXP", but the "-" soon disappeared! The EDXP was distributed each week, free, via E-mail, to various Clubs, organisations and individuals who were able to participate in this new and wonderful technology (!). It was (and is) a compiled publication (not cut-and-paste), and recipients are obliged to contribute news and information to remain on the mailing list. Organisations, including broadcasters, are required to make available their own publications, either via postal or e-mail, in exchange.

EDXP was the first independent E-mailed SW monitoring newsletter. In recent years, the capacity for electronic delivery of radio related information has expanded in leaps and bounds, and nowadays, most DX Clubs maintain some form of E-mailed/Web news service for their members.

In its five years of operation, the EDXP has extended and developed its services, which include the introduction of an interactive Web Site, issue of a range of hard and soft-copy publications and guides, the establishment of the "EDXP Bookshop", the EDXP E-NET on-line unmoderated messaging system, the EDXP QSL service, frequency recommendation services, on-line libraries of articles of lasting interest, and preparation of radio broadcasts for international distribution.

EDXP was originally set up to support the hobby monitoring community and Clubs in Australia, but that is now difficult and wasteful of resources, due to the closure of most Clubs in this country over the past five years, as a result of declining interest. Only the ARDXC survives, of which I am a Life and Foundation (1965 AD) Member.

We chose to position EDXP primarily to support shortwave broadcasting from, and to, the Asia-Pacific region, as we regard it as absurd to attempt to cover other geographical regions. However, we include news and information from outside the ASEAN area, where appropriate, as well as Australian medium-wave, consistent with member interest. Our title is actually "The Electronic DX Press Australia", but most people refer to it as, simply, "EDXP"!

- Who pays for EDXP? This is a complex situation and there is no simple answer! It is mainly a labour-of-love on my part, as a hobby venture, where I carry all costs, including electronic connections, magazine subscriptions, and Internet charges. Attempts to secure direct funding have not been successful; many people compare EDXP with the many free "lists" which are now proliferating, and generally expect EDXP to be "free", also. What these folk fail to understand is that there is a big difference between an unmoderated "anything goes" list, (or a cut-and-paste operation), as compared with a compiled product such as EDXP. Yet again, some folk do not realise that EDXP is NOT a sub-operation of, or funded by, a parent organisation.

EDXP is NOT a "Club" in the strict sense; it is a venture supporting international radio broadcasting and participants are located globally. There are no fees, no charges, no constitutions, no management boards, no elections, no meetings, no committees, with our activities governed by a simple set of rules and standards.

- Who belongs to EDXP? Unlike some "closed" groups, who seem to be paranoid about their members being "poached by other organisations, EDXP membership details are available for viewing my members at the Topica Web site. This information does not include physical addresses, and E-mail details are truncated. Our efficiency is not rated by the number of members enrolled, or the size of our newsletters, but rather by the quality, usefulness, and topicality of information made available.

Our membership includes many DX Clubs and Associations, international broadcasters, frequency planners, media producers, professional engineering consultants, commercial magazines, writers, libraries, and individuals.

- How big is EDXP? EDXP enrolments worldwide are just on 150, with about 50 members having registered with the TOPICA provider for free access to Web facilities. We do not "advertise" in the accepted sense! Prospective members come to us (we do not try and catch them!), and our visibility is high amongst the major Web search engines. Our presence is also enhanced due to our regular broadcasts over international SW stations, and we appreciate the willingness of DX Clubs to promote EDXP and our occasional special publications.

- Is there a Future? International broadcasting is experiencing change, in view of alternative/evolving methods for the delivery of news, information, education, and entertainment.

EDXP has recognised that

* world radio listeners seek accurate, ongoing, and reliable support information in pursuit of their hobby

* broadcasters require listener feedback to assess their effectiveness and "customer" base

* electronic delivery of information cannot be ignored

* world radio listening is no longer viewed by young people as a "hobby", considering competing pastimes - the sport, the disco, the music, the car, the dance, the theatre, the bike, the computer, the DVD, and the mobile telephone

* the amount of information available is vast - no one person can possibly hope to cover all sources - the amount of information is greater than the sum of the individual parts

* the most effective way of gathering and distributing information is via a "collective" approach

EDXP has tried to integrate these requirements into a service which is efficient, responsive and member-friendly, and will continue to do so or as long as there is a need for international radio broadcasting and monitoring!