Ed, Part 97 doesn't define a status for *any* operator other than the station licensee and the control operator, both of whom are responsible for proper operation of the station. It doesn't say anyth
Try running the amp without the serial port connected to the computer. It's conceivable that there's noise on the cable that randomly looks like the standby command. Be sure to disconnect the cable c
An excellent letter from the FCG. I would point out, however, that Article 11 of the current ARRL Articles of Association gives the BOD the power to expel any member for "good cause", though that ter
I'm OK with the rule. It's an extra step that requires a little technical proficiency and attention to detail, but I can't imagine it's a huge burden to ops who have built competitive stations and/or
Its been a long time since I looked at Wintest, but back when I did it seemed to me that it was designed to duplicate most of the functions, keystrokes and feel of CT, which was the first true contes
Terrific presentation, Doug. Wish I'd seen something like this when I got serious about contesting 20 years ago! A few comments: - 6% per dB is a lot! That would compensate for my UBN losses in most
As you climb the cost curve, the marginal benefit depends a lot on operator skill, who youre up against, how you and your competition perform during the contest and how many hours you can stay in the
A comment about amps: Doug is right on the 10:1 bang for the buck ratio, but there are other advantages to state-of-the-art autotune amps. For example, you dont have to take the time to retune when c
I completely agree that failure analysis is key to reducing/eliminating accidents ("Air Disasters" on Smithsonian Channels, which focuses on the NTSB analysis of airplane accidents, is one of my favo
This discussion reminded me of TowerTalk posts made by Bill Fisher W4AN (SK) about 25 years ago concerning the location of stubs. I think he used two stubs 1/4-wave from the transmitter. I found a 19
Terry, let me join the chorus of voices thanking you for your years of service to the CQ WPX contests. You've done a great job running one of best contests in ham radio -- a particular favorite of mi
While we're talking about minutia, sometimes I accidentally hit F1 twice and the computer sends TEST WC1M WC1M TEST before I can hit ESC to stop the 2nd CQ. I hope the time inspectors won't get on my
I agree with Kevin. I say this even though 2BSIQ has put a dent in my prospects for winning SOAB HP USA in CQ WPX CW. I've managed to stay close to the top with my middling station and skills since 2
Very sad news. 43 QSOs with VE1OP in my log. RIP OM. 73, Dick WC1M It's my sad duty to report to the contesting world that Scott Nichols, VE1OP has recently become a SK a few days after he participat
Brad worked for the various iterations of the Alpha company for years. AFAIK, hes the worlds expert on the 87A. One time Brad correctly diagnosed the cause of a problem I had with my 87A when he over
While I'm not particularly bothered by the change (seen it coming for a while now), I'm not so sure it won't have an impact. The fact that Unassisted entrants have outperformed Assisted entrants does
Hmmm. It appears that spotting assistance still isnt allowed in the Classic overlay. Presumably Classic scores will also be included in the new sole SO (Assisted) category, which mixes apples and ora
This isn't quite accurate. ARRL rules don't say anything about radios. You're not limited to "one radio". You're restricted to one transmitted signal at a time. And there's no restriction to "a multi
I use a pair of Apple keyboards, one wired and one wireless (the ones without a numeric keypad). They're a little under 11 inches wide and about 4.5 inches deep. They work fine with Windows 10. Some
100W vs 150W for Low Power has been under discussion at ARRL for a long time. I agree that it affects comparisons with previous scores, records, etc., but I don't have a lot of concern about that. It