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CW REQUIREMENT

Subject: CW REQUIREMENT
From: k0hb@hamlink.mn.org (HANS BRAKOB)
Date: Fri May 24 16:49:33 1996
Time OUT! Before everyone gets wrapped around an axle on "what is
the official position of ..... on Morse HF requirements", get the
following clear in your mind.
  
As far as US amateurs are concerned (and perhaps most other large
countries) there are two (count 'em again -- two) committees working
this issue.
  
First, there is something called FASC which is a creature of the 
IARU.  This is NOT an ARRL committee, although Dave Sumner is a
member of the committee. This committee has written the "discussion
paper" which is referred to in some posts. It should be noted that
IARU has simply created a discussion group, and that this group has
NO VOTE (nor does IARU) at WRC. Only countries can vote at WRC, and
IARU represents no country.
  
Second, there is a committee appointed by President Stafford of ARRL,
and chaired by Tod Olson, K0TO. This committee has a broad 
cross-section of hams on it's membership, and will reach a conclusion
on all the issues (including Morse) in S25 which will be presented
to the ARRL Board of Directors who may endorse the committee
recommendation, adopt it as ARRL position in whole, or adopt some
parts and reject others. (I would assume that other national societies
such as RAC, RSGB, JARL, WIA, NZART, etc. have similar committees.)
  
So, in truth, until this ARRL committee reports, and until the
ARRL Board of Directors acts on that report, no new ARRL position
on Morse requirements has been reached, and in fact the current
position of the Board adopted at a recent Board meeting stands. That
resolution was absolutely IN FAVOR of a Morse requirement, both
nationally and internationally.
  
In a nutshell, there is no "done deal" on this issue, so your
rational and well thought arguments should be directed to the 
representatives on FASC and to your representative on your own
national societies committee (ARRL, RSGB, DARC, or whatever).
  
73, de Hans, K0HB
                                                                                
                           

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>From w7ni@teleport.com (Stan Griffiths)  Sat May 25 10:10:18 1996
From: w7ni@teleport.com (Stan Griffiths) (Stan Griffiths)
Subject: Contesting is dieing
Message-ID: <199605250910.CAA17014@desiree.teleport.com>

>
>W7NI notes:
>
>>The main reason there are no kids in contesting today is because there are
>>no kids in contesting today.  Kids like to do what their friends like to do.
>>Kids want to earn the respect and admiration of their peers.  Their peers
>>don't do radio contesting.  A kid that does spend time doing it is clearly
>>an "odd-ball" that likes to play games with old fogies that are one or two
>>generations older than he is.  This will clearly not earn him the respect of
>>his peers.
>
>When I got my license as a kid (14) I was an odd-ball (many would say I 
>haven't changed much).  There was no social status to being a ham, it was 
>just the opposite - but it was a way for a geek to talk to people as a peer. 
>Good stuff for a shy kid.  I suspect not much has really changed.
>
>73 Tom

Like Tom, I was licensed early in my teens at age 13.  At my high school,
there were 14 hams in a student body of about 700.  I believe that was an
unusually high ratio.  Still only 2% of the kids in my school were hams.
Most of my peers were spread across the country and I read about them in QST
and worked them in contests.  But there were hundreds (maybe thousands) of
them.  Hams were definitely nerds but if your peers are nerds too, it is
their respect you crave.  I was the only kid in school with a beam (homebrew
2 element quad on a 48 foot wooden pole cut from the woods) and an amplifier
(pair of parallel 813s, all homebrew).  My station was the envy of all of my
peers and I actually made DXCC in 1957 while I was still in high school.
Did it the hard way without lists, packet, spotting nets, and one country at
a time by getting on the air and looking for them myself.

Stan  w7ni@teleport.com


>From w7ni@teleport.com (Stan Griffiths)  Sat May 25 10:10:26 1996
From: w7ni@teleport.com (Stan Griffiths) (Stan Griffiths)
Subject: Contesting is dieing
Message-ID: <199605250910.CAA17037@desiree.teleport.com>

>
>       Hello !
>       I'm 21 years old and I am an avid contester and DXer.
>       I got my license on Jan 1992, got my transceiver two weeks
>       later (an Icom IC-725), and built a simple dipole for 10m,
>       but also used to transmit on 15-17-20 and even 40m, using an
>       antenna tuner.
>       My first contest was CQ WW WPX in 1993, since then I've always
>       participated on all CQWW DX and WPX contests, and later on the
>       ARRL contest too.
>       Most of the contest I've done were using inverted V dipoles, 
>       I only got my first beam in September 1994 (a TH2-MK2 which is
>       the one I still use).
>       I took up CW in October 1995, and I'm planning to be operative
>       this weekend on the CQWW WPX CW.
>       Last year I took 2nd Place World in the IOTA contest, in the
>       SSB World seccion. 
>       Do you think I am old, and don't like contest ?
>       Young contesters are not many, but they still exist !
>                                               
>                                       73 + good DX + good Contest !
>
> | Pedro Pedroso                        |                            | 
> | l38217@alfa.ist.utl.pt               |  CT1ELP                    |
> | Eng. Electrotecnica e Computadores   |  Founder member of GPDX    |
> | (Telecomunicacoes e electronica)     |                            |
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> | Address: P.O.Box 116 , 2806 Almada Codex , PORTUGAL               |
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Pedro,

I am very happy that you can find contesting as much fun as I did when I was
young like you.  For many young people, the fun of contesting will never be
known because it is too much work to develop the skills and build a station.

Do I think you are old?  No, not compared to me at 57.  I am almost old
enough to be your grandfather!  But still, at 21 years, you are 1.5 times as
old as I was when I started contesting.  If you asked me if a 21 year old
person was old when I was only 14, I would say yes!

Stan  w7ni@teleport.com


>From lyndon@ve7tcp.ampr.org (VE7TCP)  Sat May 25 11:40:21 1996
From: lyndon@ve7tcp.ampr.org (VE7TCP) (VE7TCP)
Subject: 160 in CW WPX - Consensus - Don't Bother
Message-ID: <199605251040.DAA01643@ve7tcp.ampr.org>

>>>>> "KWIDELITZ" == KWIDELITZ  <KWIDELITZ@delphi.com> writes:

    KWIDELITZ> Thanks to all for your comments. The overwhelming
    KWIDELITZ> consensus was "don't bother" with 160 in WPX. Only one
    KWIDELITZ> comment even suggested trying.

Say what? When 10 and 15 are dead, and 20 opens for six hours (if you're
lucky), 160 can help out a whole bunch.

    KWIDELITZ> The most telling note was from Trey, WN4KKN, who
    KWIDELITZ> paraphrased K5ZD as saying, "If you're on 160 in CW
    KWIDELITZ> WPX, then you are losing the contest."

Obviously K5ZD has never run a contest from the Great White North during
the pit of the cycle :-)  Up here, you take 'em where you get 'em!

--lyndon (mush doggies! we need more AMPS!)

>From k1vr@k1vr.jjm.com (Fred Hopengarten)  Sat May 25 12:31:09 1996
From: k1vr@k1vr.jjm.com (Fred Hopengarten) (Fred Hopengarten)
Subject: N1TZ is Fine
Message-ID: <31a6ef80.k1vr@k1vr.jjm.com>

I got a call from N1TZ last night.  He is now at home.  The
final diagnosis is that his "heart attack" in Newark
Airport, on the way to Dayton, was "an electrical problem."
His heart stopped, but there does not appear to be muscle
damage.  He does not seem to have any elements of stroke,
and retains a typical Bob speech pattern and word recall.
He has had a defibrillator implanted in his chest (something
like a pacemaker), in the hope that if his heart's
electrical signals get mixed up again and decide not to
issue instructions to pump, the defibrillator will make it
happen.

Apparently he had what is either an arrhythmia or eschemia,
for those of you who are techniucally inclined.

He seemed very cheery.  His throat still hurts, as a result
of the fact that when the EMT's jam that breathing tube down
your throat, there is little time for the niceties.  Also,
his chest hurts like the dickens, as the proper
administration of CPR calls for hitting the chest so hard
that, if you are doing it right, ribs are broken 50% of the
time.  They whacked his chest pretty good.

But all things considered, it is only one week later and
he's back in his own house.  The total tab for the incident
looks like it is going to be $100,000.  (Examples:  The
implanting of the defibrillator was $26,000, plus a $6,000
surgeon's fee.  The ambulance ride from Elizabeth General
Hospital in Newark to St. Vincent's Hospital in Worcester -
two drivers and a nurse - was $1,000.)  Now if only the
airline could find his luggage.

It was close, and we all have reason to be greatful.
Cross-posted to YCCC Reflector.
-- 
                      Fred Hopengarten K1VR
           Six Willarch Road * Lincoln, MA 01773-5105
     home + office telephone:  617/259-0088 (FAX on demand)
                   internet:  k1vr@k1vr.jjm.com
            "Big antennas, high in the sky, are better
                       than small ones, low."

>From robrk@fyi.net (Robert Morris)  Sat May 25 16:15:24 1996
From: robrk@fyi.net (Robert Morris) (Robert Morris)
Subject: SWR between rig and linear
References: <MAILQUEUE-101.960524085729.256@bfs.uwm.edu>
Message-ID: <31A7240C.5F49@fyi.net>

SWR would be there at low power, not just when you run "large
amount of power"... Might be a grounding problem...RF getting
to the keying line. Relys go nuts after a certain level of RF
in the shack....

>From donovanf@sgate.com (Frank Donovan)  Sat May 25 14:44:03 1996
From: donovanf@sgate.com (Frank Donovan) (Frank Donovan)
Subject: W3LPL Open House: 15 June
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.93.960525090720.17991A-100000@jekyll.sgate.com>

Paul,

The closest hotel (about 10 miles) is:

Turf Valley Hotel and Country Club
Ellicott City  MD
(410)465-1500   FAX  (410)465-8280

Their single rates are in the $85-$100 range for a sophisticated
hotel with exceptionally beautiful grounds and complete country club
facilities.  This hotel is a leisurely 15 minute drive from my QTH and 30
minutes from Baltimore-Washington Airport.

An excellent alternative would be a hotel at Baltimore-Washington Airport,
which is only a 30 minute drive from my QTH, ideal if u fly into and out
of BWI.  I'd recommend this approach (no need to learn ur way around on
Friday night and u can enjoy a leisurely Sunday morning).  The hotels
within a mile or two of BWI are listed below in my order of preference,
the first three are excellent full service hotels:

Marriott Hotel- BWI Airport (410)859-8300    about $75 Fri/Sat single
Sheraton In'tl Hotel - BWI  (410)859-3300    about $75 Fri/Sat single
Holiday Inn - BWI           (410)859-8400    about $95 single
Hampton Inn BWI             (410)850-0600    about $65 single
Red Roof Inn - BWI Airport  (410)850-7611    about $45 single

I recommend that u fly into and out of Baltimore-Washington International
Airport (BWI).  It's a 30 minute hassle free drive from here. 

Washington area airports (Dulles Airport and National Airport) are at
least a one hour drive under ideal conditions (traffic is rarely ideal on
that route especially on Friday nite...).  I drive that route every day
(Ugh...).

73!
Frank
W3LPL
donovanf@sgate.com   <---reply address


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