In a message dated 3/17/05 10:35:08 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
k4ik@subich.com writes:
Contesters and Dxers of all people, should understand the difficulty
in protecting amateur access to the spectrum as well as the right to
erect a tower sufficiently tall to be effective. Can any of you imagine
facing a BZA (Board of Zoning Adjustment) with an anti-tower, anti-ham
Chairman who has had staff searching for a justification to reject
a tower application?
Chairman: "Sir, you claim you need this 70' tower for effective
DX communications. Why do you not talk with those
stations via IRLP or Echolink and your hand held radio?"
This sounds a lot like a debate between sailboat people and power boat
people. Why do you need a sailboat if you can get there by power boat?
On my visits in Florida, I often get irritated (but only mildly since I'm on
vacation) waiting for drawbridges that have opened to let sailboats pass
through. In most cases the bridges would not have to be raised for a power
boat.
I'm not into boating of either variety, but I suspect sailboat people know a
lot more about dealing with the sea, weather, etc., than power boaters.
Do those who start with a power boat ever get into sailing? I'm not sure,
but I suspect there are a few cases. I do know that there are lots of places
one can rent a small power boat, and on a good day safely head out without
knowing a whole lot about boating, and thereby get exposed to the more general
fun of being on the water.
If that gets a newcomer into boating, and maybe later into the more
sophisticated sailing variety, it's good for boating. That a ham newcomer
might get
into a low brow form of contesting (ILRP) sounds good to me. Some day he
might want to move up and join us all natural sailboat people.
73 - Jim K8MR
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