<< From Ron WZ1V, FN31 Connecticut >>
Less than a month ago, in what I thought at the time was in good faith,
I posted the following remark concerning the ARRL Sept. VHF QSO party:
>All right, all you former Rover-rule whiners! Here's a new podium on
>which to stand: Consider that this past September VHF contest, a certain
>K3 limited-multiop station claims over 900 QSO's on 2 meters! Do we now
>have a new all-time record? I am sure you serious VHF'ers are aware of the
>effort required to even work half of that. What's more, this K3 group
>claims a 4 band score rivaling W2SZ/1's all-out 50MHz thru light effort !
> A couple nights ago, I chatted with a ham friend who attended the
>Gaithersburg MD Hamfest (which coincided w/ the contest). He was evidently
>eyewitness to the fact that there were many large signs at the Hamfest
>that all said something to the effect: PLEASE WORK K3U-NO-WHO ON 146.5 !
>So I guess it's all fine and well to use advertising to fabricate QSOs !
>Fine. Next thing this hamfester sees is another large sign on a tower
>with a vertical beam pointed in a strategic direction: like saying,
>HEY EVERYONE - PLUG YOUR HT INTO OUR BEAM AND WORK K3U-NO-WHO ON 146.5 !
>Wait a minute: Specific advertisement instructing all passerbys to
>provide contacts to a specific multi-op station using the same antenna?
> Is this in the true spirit of ham radio? Is it even legal?
Sadly, this quickly developed into a personal affront to a gentleman in
our VHF ranks, Dick Ballou, K3MQH. It was as if my question of ethics that
I threw out metamorphed midair into a knife, of which many others grasped
onto to hone, sharpen, and then use to assassinate one of our brethren.
You bet I thought he was guilty of some wrongdoing at the time, oh yes!
Did I have the courtesy to question him personally beforehand? -no!
When I attended the Mt. Airy VHF Clubs' Conference this past weekend, I
went well-prepared to possibly meet face to face with a sinister man,
and become involved in heated discussion with same.
To my surprise, I was approached by a polite gentleman, who introduced
himself as K3MQH, and proceeded to give me a little background.
I found this man to be a VHF-UHF enthusiast after my own heart, who
loves his hobby so much, that he has gone out of his way to purchase one
of the highest hilltops in the state of Maryland, acquire and permanently
install 9 permanent towers (yes, nine!), and amass high powered equipment
and large antennae in order to more greatly succeed in his passion!
Did Dick ask for volunteers to help spread the word at the hamfest to
support their contest effort? Sure he did, why not ? (no rule against it)
Did one of those volunteers go a little overboard ? Undoubtedly so.
As far as I'm concerned there was no sinister plot to bend the rules to
the max on Dicks' part. Someone simply got a little over-enthusiastic.
That someone was me! Over-enthusiastic to question anothers' ethics
without first giving the common courtesy to personally question all
involved before stating a highly opinionated remark to a large audience.
I now hang my head in shame !
If there are those who feel there are unfair advantages in VHF contesting
due to "legal loopholes" in the present rule structure, Please give the
ARRL CAC a chance to refine the wording of those rules. Your nearest CAC
representative is your voice in this, write them! Don't make the same
mistake I did!
_\\///_
co-founder: (' O O ') North East Weak Signal group, ARRL affil.
---------------ooO-(_)-Ooo--------------------------------------------
| 73 de Ron WZ1V, email: klimas%uhavax.dnet@ipgate.hartford.edu |
| Grid FN31mp BBS: 203-768-4758 (weeknights/weekends only) |
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>From Alan Brubaker <alan@nah.dsd.ES.COM> Tue Oct 4 14:54:06 1994
From: Alan Brubaker <alan@nah.dsd.ES.COM> (Alan Brubaker)
Subject: CQP and 10 meters...
Message-ID: <199410041354.HAA09149@nah.dsd.ES.COM>
>Good grief...isn't this the fourth or fifth CQP report where guys state
>they LISTENED on 10, but not whether they transmitted??? No wonder only
>K6XO made any Qs there! Steve KO0U/4
Well, Steve, to be fair about it, I personally never had any expectations
that I would even hear any California stations on 10 meters, much less
make any QSOs there. But I kept checking and amazingly enough I heard a
few stations on Sunday, and even more amazing, two of them pulled me out
of the noise. I knew that calling CQ California on 10 meters would have
been a waste of time, and I never did that. I believe that some other
stations made some QSOs there too.
Alan, K6XO
alan@nah.dsd.es.com
The skip's too short to run QRP...
>From Kurszewski Chad" <kurszewski_chad@macmail1.csg.mot.com Tue Oct 4
>09:24:13 1994
From: Kurszewski Chad" <kurszewski_chad@macmail1.csg.mot.com (Kurszewski Chad)
Subject: Score Summaries
Message-ID: <199410041432.AA05261@pobox.mot.com>
Ok, who forgot what this reflector is called?
"CQ-CONTEST"
I think score breakdowns are QUITE appropriate for THIS reflector. It is
supposed to be a contest oriented reflector, right?
I don't see anyone suggesting that all the antenna messages be moved off to the
appropriate ham.radio.antennas usenet list. (Nor am I)
If contest scores can't be proudly forwarded here on the CQ-CONTEST reflector,
maybe we should change it's name.
I vote (in case it isn't obvious) to allow CONTEST SCORES to be published on
the CQ-CONTEST reflector.
Sincerely,
Chad WE9V
kurszewski_chad@macmaiL1.csg.mot.com
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