In a message dated 97-12-08 17:14:27 EST, K2DS writes:
<< I guess this isn't a hobby anymore, its the guy with the
most bucks wins.... >>
and...
In a message dated 97-11-14 05:31:54 EST, W5HW writes:
<< Having spent over $20,000 to date on this equipment, I now find I "can't
be competitive unless you have two rigs".
What am I missing here? Where is the sense in all this. >>
I don't think you need money to show up in top boxes or win something. I have
been forced to use my brain, if there were limited resources/money supply.
Example #1 - VE3BMV
(Young engineer working for IBM, just off the boat with not more than a
suitcase)
I operated till 86 from Toronto's suburb, 46x120ft city lot surrounded by
houses, TVI, power line noise and nasty neighbors. First had home brewed 65ft
TV tiltover tower with used TH6 and 402BA and InVees ($350). Later I bought
Telrex Big Bertha (as scrap)+ antennas (lucky find) for $1200 (XYL cried, with
baby on the way and I am spending all this money on a stupid tower!), designed
and built my own antennas (abt $200 in material from junkyards) Rig was used
Drake B-line + R4C (abt $500). rest of it, amplifier and gadgets were home
brewed. I realized that I can not put up M/M there or have hard time beating
all-banders, so I specialized in a single band operations (better chance
getting into top boxes). This netted me about 16 world records and all
Canadian monoband records from 160 through 10 m in CQ WW and WPX contests.
Even enjoyed beating some "commercial" contesters with much better QTH and
rigging. (How sweet it is!)
Example #2 K3BU as P40A
(No station in America yet, gotta find out what's it like South)
Get on the plain to Aruba, ticket ($300) take my rusty TS930 (blew it) ended
up using IC735 (urrrgh) rented P43AS QTH with antennas (Inv Vee and Delta
Loop) for 3 days ($150) used Titan amp, operated as P40A ($25 for callsign) on
80m in WPX monoband. Ended up about third in world and made new SA record.
Even got sunburn and praise from XYL for "dragging" her there. (Could have
operated all bands, but have been out of contesting and radio for 10 years,
bit rusty and lot has changed, including computer logging, so I settled for
leisurely monoband 80)
Example #3 VX3BMV/1
(Let's do some serious monoband contesting)
Gotta go nowadays to geographically advantaged spot. Not ready for Lampedusa
trip/portable equipment yet, so next best thing is to take advantage of
VE1ZZ's friendship and hospitality. He has 4 square Ls on 160, 7 beverages and
ocean side QTH closer to Europe. I pile my junk in my 1972 352 cu. inch Buick
LeSabre (reinforced the springs and installed air shocks $200 CDN) drive 1000
miles/15 hours from NJ to NS (abt $180 in gas, sucker drinks gas), take
Jack's
family to dinner, compensate for electricity, etc. ($$$) Got sore butt from
sitting in the car and at the rig, but when the smoke cleared, managed to beat
my last year's score as CG1ZZ (NA Record) by about 65%. Two rigs used (two RX
on two ears), Titan amp., IBM Thinkpad 500 for logging ("confiscated" from
my son). Felt good, especially after finding out that big M/M were all behind.
(Usually the standard I try to gage my performance by.)
Example #4 VE1ZZ
(160m DXCC 280 countries confirmed on a shoestring)
Jack must have spent "fortune" of about $500 on his station. Out of that, $450
is in the TS830. Rest is home brewed and scrounged "free for taking it away"
wires, cables, tower sections. "Coax Connectors" are the hose clamps holding
the shields of CATV cables and center conductors soldered, with plastic soda
bottles as a weather proofing. Antennas are 4 Square Ls on 160 and another one
on 80, beverages, there is no rotary beam there, never was. Jack works stuff
on 160 others dream of.
There are many others, like W2GD/P40W, etc. who with modest station manage to
crack the top of the field. And I am not talking about "contesting behind Iron
Curtain" - heck we had to even make the wire there, you could not buy the rig
even if you wanted to. It was all home-brewsky! Hi
Then you hear about operation hauling containers of equipment accross the
ocean, and still not beating bunch of PJ coWboys.
Soooo, here are few proofs that one can have fun contesting on a shoestring,
megabucks are not necessary, and one can still cream a record here and there.
Wanna find out what your setup could do with good operator?
Naaah, I can't be bought. Hi
<< ..then the same thing will happen to contesting that is happening to
competitive shooting the world over.
It is dying.... as will contesting, I fear... >>
Huh??? I see more and more QSOs being made, more logs showing up in results,
besides I will be around - have nothing to lose. Hi
Have fun first (we are "fighting" for a piece of paper or wood after all),
enjoy competing, pick a category or set the goal for something that you can
realistically achieve (beat a friend, win state, continent or world). Main
thing is to learn from each contest and improve the next time. Stop moaning
and tailoring categories to fit you (too much liberal influence?).
Got junky radios? This is the time to learn operating, when you get that dream
rig, it will put you miles ahead of the pack.
As someone said:
"I was complainig about my shoes, untill I saw the man without legs."
Let's have fun with what we have and do our best under the circumstances. Just
thought it might be interesting to hear the other side of the story, I am sure
there are many others in the same boat.
73 and CU from another el-cheapo operation!
Yuri Blanarovich, ex OK3BU, now K3BU, VE3BMV, P40A and ....
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