Hi guys, This has been a VERY interesting thread. I agree with a lot of it
and disagree with a lot. But here's a few things that come to MY mind
anyway.
I am not on VHF and above ONLY because of contests! I am a VHF'er first and
a contester second. I like working new states, countries, grids, band
openings, Au, MS, Tropo, EME whatever. It's true that contests (if
conditions permit) allow for the best opportunity for working new stuff
because there is MORE activity. It's also true that at times in my life
because of LIFE itself I've JUST operated the contests because I had very
little free time. BUT I am still trying to improve my station, add new
bands, etc, because I really enjoy the challenge of tinkering with stuff and
operating on VHF and above and NOT JUST IN CONTESTS!! "Use it or lose it."
We keep hearing this. Well, I doubt that using the bands 4 or 5 times a year
for contests is going to keep the other services from wanting to take our
spectrum away from us. So all this fuss about why contest log submissions
are down is a little bit missing the point, isn't it?? I agree I'd sort of
like to know what's going on. But what about activity in general?? Who's
monitoring that??
Also, for me contests are an oportunity to "push the limits" a little.
Otherwise I could not understand why I spend so much time building stuff,
repairing stuff, refining stuff, ENLARGING stuff before each event. Yeah
it's fun too and it appeals to the "competitive" instinct in me. The thought
of making the June contest just 4 bands or making it two seperate contests
one for 4 bands and one for everything else, is so distateful to me I can't
even be to speak to it!!! For sure, a few new, *well thought out* entry
categories are probably a good idea, but let's not make a category for every
single entry so everyone gets a prize. sheesh. If we're not in the contests
to be VHF'ers (see first paragraph above), but only to "win a prize", what's
the point really??? (OK, I guess you could say "competing" is a good enough
reason - but there HAS be more than that!)
43 years ago when I started VHF contesting most entries were 6 and or 2
Meters (I am looking at June 1962 QST right now) I would say 95% of entries
were one or both of those bands. Nothing else! There were two categories,
single op and multi op. Everyone could not win, but there were over 1500
entries in January 1961! Since then we have pushed the state of the art in
ham radio immensely. Let's not go backwards here by eliminating from the
contests what we have tried so hard to develop over the years. Suppose in
1962 the ARRL decided to have the January VHF SS be just 6&2 and make a
separate contest for 222 and above because most of the guys just couldn't
afford anything but a Polycomm 6&2 or Goonyboxes borrowed from the local
Civil Defense for 6 and 2! Suppose they did that saying they were doing it
to "increase activity".. hardy har har.. That would be a good one.
So that's my 2 cents. Pile it on me guys!!
bill, K1DY 50MHz-3456MHz, FN54, Maine
_________________________________________________________________
MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE*
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/virus
|