On Tue, 8 Jul 1997 13:20:05 -0600 (MDT) K7BG Matt Trott
<aa7bg@3rivers.net> writes:
>I began to ponder the psyche of these operators and I, with some
>amazement,
>realized that (at least as far as said article goes) there was no
>mention of
>"two radio" operating. I'm quite sure that they both had at least two
>radios
>(stations) so that wasn't the limiting factor.
By the time you get two 75A4's, two HT-32B's, and a couple of
1960 - style KW's on the desk, you'd be lucky if it didn't
collapse! Not many folks could afford two rigs back then.
Even if you could afford it, and the desk could support it,
it would be hard to REACH all that stuff!
>With memory keyers/tapes and such they coulda CQ'd with one radio
>while
>searching for new meat on a different band.
I don't remember much in the way of memory keyers in 1960. It seems
to me the Hallicrafters HA-1 TO Keyer was state of the art. I don't
even think tape cassettes were around yet. I remember trying to
splice a tape loop onto a reel-to-reel recorder. It didn't work
very well. I also remember rectifying audio tones on a tape to drive
a cw keying relay. That was even less successful than voice.
>So what was it, why wasn't this operating technique used before
>computers by
>the top ops? (maybe it was, but if it wasn't was it because):
>(1) Never thought of it?
Correct. It took a twisted mind to conceive of two-radio
contesting. It could only have happened after evolutionary
genetic changes induced by widespread drug experimentation
in the late sixties.
>(2) Competition didn't require it (could win w/o it)?
>(3) Bordered on "ethics violation" (spirit of the contest?)?
I think both of the above are also correct. Even if they had
thought of the idea, it would have been wildly contrary to the
established procedures of the day, requiring a major paradigm
shift. Scads of new techniques and gizmos would have needed
invention. Attitudes and preconceptions would have needed major
realignment. Faced with all of this, why worry about the hassle
if you could win without it? Believe it or not, some of this
"retro" 1960 mentality exists even today, right here in River City!
Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
k6ll@juno.com
Yuma, AZ (on the Colorado River)
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