>In a message dated 96-02-22 01:06:01 EST, you write:
>
>> First, you have to have come from the right gene
>>pool and have an IQ of 150 or better. This is not to say that Tree's IQ is
>>that low, I mean if yours isn't that high, forget it.
>
>Gosh, this just makes me feel warm all over... what a wonderful thread...
>
Gee, if I remember my history correctly, there was a certain Austrian fellow
back in the 30's and 40's who caused quite a stir in the world by presuming
genetics had a say in the master race......Duetchland Uber Alles ring a bell?
As much as I wish that my russian genes would help me endure the cold, or
that my native american genes would make me a great hunter, or that my
english genes would lead me to the Crown alas I have to make do with what I
am. I really think it comes down to perseverance and practice. In any
sport the amount of time you put in has a marked effect on your performance.
The top flight contesters put in a lot of effort. We second tier dudes
probably put in half the time, third tier half that. I admire Tree and the
rest of the truely dedicated top flight; I wished I could count myself up
there. I know, given my life choices (family before self) that I will not
be able to dedicate the time to contesting that this group does; so be it.
That doesn't mean that I won't enjoy the parts that I do get into.
Now back to the main thread.
Let me preface this by saying that I am not a top gun. My best trait in
contesting is that I can sit for hours doing S&P pulling out the stations
that most others can't hear. It's not that my receivers are that hot
(they're ok) or that my location is really quiet (it is) it's that my
hearing is that good. My patience is a plus. I've op'ed at a couple of
M/M's and found that a lot of ops can't sit still for more than 20 minutes
without getting fidgety. 2 passes across the band without much action
drives them nuts. My HERO, along with a number of you others, was also
KH6IJ. I had the privelege of doing a field day on Oahu where he came down
and operated for a few hours. The natives called him the Radio Budha
because he could sit absolutely still with one hand tuning and the other
sending/writing. It was awe-inspiring. He taught me how to listen and be
patient. "You cannot hear when you talk" was his advice. Those few hours
had a definite impact on me.
In these days of instant gratification too many contesters go buy a bag of
instant "W6GO" or "W3LPL" flakes, pop them in the microwave and have a ready
made big gun setup. They miss the finer points of listening, hunting and
snagging. If they don't get through on the first call they go buy a bigger
amp. No patience. Take the time to listen to a pile-up during a contest.
It's almost laughable to hear the tone of some voices when it takes two
calls to get through.
I saw a posting on the dx reflector that basically said if you can't work
150-175 countries on 80M in a winter then you aren't really trying (actually
the tone was more of you ain't a real ham). That attitude doesn't make you
good.
My other psuedo-hero is Rich, KE3Q. I was impressed that he would take the
time to put on a show about the W3LPL station and then answer questions
without an attitude...especially those from an itinerant K7 out east on
vacation.
Just my thoughts....Nomex on.
Gary K7FR
Antenna Farms
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