-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Mark Beckwith" <n5ot@n5ot.com>
> > The CQWWDX has just ended and already a bunch of good old boys are in a
> > round table bitching about the contesters.
>
> I think we can safely say this didn't start after the contest ended :) They
> were probably doing it for the whole weekend but we were too busy to notice
i spent the day yesterday with my 5 yr old son after spending Saturday at K3DI
in the contest. we got on the bands for a few minutes just chasing the DX on
15, 20, and 40 meters. we worked stations in all 4 corners of the map and it
was exciting, i even worked a new one. you can't buy the kind of smile my son
had when he heard my callsign come out of the speaker from some distant
location on the map. he even gave our exchange to a few of them (apologizes to
OH7M).
if it wasn't for the contest, the bands would not have had nearly this much DX
on at one time and trying to show off ham radio at the bottom of the cycle
would be like trying to show off the joys of watching paint dry. seeing a
square on the map in Logger32 and then clicking it and hearing a voice coming
from Kenya or Antartica or Finland really shows off what radio is all about.
after dinner i went back down to the shack and tuned across 75m and heard the
usual gripes about contests. i guess the thought of showing off ham radio
never comes to mind. i guess they are too consumed with themselves and thus
the lengthy stories about their medical procedures. show would be hams that
kind of stuff and see how cool they find it. as my son would say "BORING!"
i'm a tad biased, but for me, contesting is the perfect time to show off the
power and coolness factor of ham radio. my mother-in-law was blown away when i
had a ragchew with a JT after Thanksgiving dinner a few years back, i doubt
hearing about a prostate exam would be as awe inspiring.
-Steve, WM3O
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