On the way out of Dayton on Sunday we ran into K1DG in the outrageously
priced pizza place in the airport. We talked a little about what it is like
for a non-contester to schmooze with the "regulars".
Part of contesting is sharing tales with fellow contesters and a lot of times
the non-contest-circle guys have a hard time fitting in. This is probably a
real tough thing to do for someone who is new...it must be like being a
teenager going to a mixer and having to introduce yourself to a potential
partner. I am not saying that this is kinky what I am saying is that if you
are a contest regular you are accepted by virtue of your known callsign. I
know I worked the halls and suites as best I could with this miserable cold
and what I did was spy the badges, and when I saw a familiar call said hi, or
thanks for the contacts, or whatever. If you were just checking into this
contest thing, I can't imagine the nonperson status of being an unknown.
Would you say hi?
The contest fraternity is aging, as evidenced by the earlier QRT of many of
its mainstays come this past weekend's Friday and Saturday nights...I don't
even know if the "lobby suite" even formed this year! Many of us are
"getting up there" .... was there any wee hours pizza this year? I don't
think so.
The same group of us continues on and it seems the young blood is the
"Sultans" crowd, which isn't that young - albeit crude enough at times!
Without new blood we are up the creek, I know we have all heard this before -
but this year I really sensed it.
K1DG talked about offering a portion of the contest program next year to
"new-guy" topics. This sounds interesting, but the new guys have to be at the
point a year from now where they are opening the program and saying "yeah,
that program interests ME"....will we be creating newbies this year?
I refuse to believe that only our generations can have fun contesting. I
always have so much fun with our group of hams at Dayton that I come away
every time saying what a great bunch of guys contesters are. Others feel the
same I am certain. SO, what have we forgotten, what are we doing differently
that is scaring new guys away? Contesting's lure is timeless....isn't it?
Heah, after seeing the pair of W0GD and W2UA this weekend, you know this is
great stuff!
Jim zx k1zx@contesting.com
>From jreid@aloha.net (Jim Reid) Wed May 22 01:56:26 1996
From: jreid@aloha.net (Jim Reid) (Jim Reid)
Subject: Where to send comments re FASC position
Message-ID: <1.5.4.32.19960522005626.00670bf4@aloha.net>
OK, for the several of you asking without access to the
www, send your comments/responses to the FASC position
about CW and HF technical/operational license requirments
to:
iaru@iaru.org
on the subject line, type "TO IARU FASC" .
These are the instructions per Dave Sumner, K1ZZ.
Without web access, you will have to write the ARRL
for a copy of the 20 page FASC discussion/position
paper. Maybe ARRL can make it available by e-mial.
I'm not sure I know how to extract it from my Netscape
browser, and then get it re-sent to the e-mail reflecotrs,
perhaps one of you could do that should there be enough
demand.
73, Jim,AH6NB jredi@aloha.net
>From kl7y@alaska.net (Dan Robbins) Wed May 22 02:08:42 1996
From: kl7y@alaska.net (Dan Robbins) (Dan Robbins)
Subject: WPX 160
Message-ID: <9605220108.AB11476@alaska.net>
>The most telling note was from Trey, WN4KKN, who paraphrased K5ZD as saying,
>"If you're on 160 in CW WPX, then you are losing the contest."
Must be why we can't find anyone to work down there, no matter how good the
conditions are. In the spirit of the PREFIX contest, I suspect you'll hear
AL8/N7DF or some such this weekend. The QSLs are killing me, decided to use
someone else's call this time around. Thanks to all you guys who QSL every
contact whether you want the card or not.
Dan KL7Y (kl7y@alaska.net)
>From TREY@TGV.COM (Trey Garlough) Wed May 22 02:55:06 1996
From: TREY@TGV.COM (Trey Garlough) (Trey Garlough)
Subject: QRV in WPX: Me, Me, Me!! (Bitter, sarcastic humor)
Message-ID: <832730106.746902.TREY@tgv.com>
> >Adding to the deluge of recent -- and totally unnecessary -- postings:
> >
> >I, too, plan to be QRV in the WPX. I will be using either the special call
> I totally agree with your feelings on this self-promotion garbage
> that we have to endure on this reflector.
Yep. I believe most of us agree postings that say "I'm going to be on
the air in the contest this weekend; work me" are not very valuable,
so please don't post these sorts of messages here.
Each person who posts a message to the CQ-Contest mailing list takes
personal responsibility for the quality of the traffic we see here.
Once again, I would like to remind everyone to think a little harder
about whether what they are about to say really makes a worthwhile
contribution to this forum.
--Trey, WN4KKN/6
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