Fellow Contesters,
I'm currently attending school at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC.
When I got on campus I realized that there is half a ham station already
here. Several inquiries later I found that it has not been used in over
20 years and needs many repairs/additions to be operable again.
I got in touch with a Physics professor on campus who was the trustee of
various ham radio clubs on campus in the past and learned that he would
be happy to help me start another ham radio club if I could get the
station operable again.
This is where *YOU* come in. The station is in desperate need of a good
HF rig. There is some tube gear in the station but it is very old, is
not solid state, the transmitter and receiver are separate, it will not
interface to a computer, and it can't cover 12m/17m/30m/160m. All of
these factors are not conducive to either DXing or contesting, most
likely the two main uses for the station.
I proposed that we sell the old tube gear to purchase a new rig but that
idea was shot down because the gear has "historical significance" to the
station. This leaves only one avenue: donations. If anyone reading this
can find it in their heart I would VERY MUCH appreciate a donation of a
used HF rig. I'm very liberal with the specifics, as long as it's solid
state and works reliably it's FB.
All donations are fully tax-deductible (I will work out the paperwork)
and I will publicly thank any donors on the CQ-Contest reflector as well
as on the club QSL card. If you are not located on the East Coast I'm
sure that shipping arrangements can be worked out. Otherwise, I can
probably pick the radio up at your QTH or meet you halfway.
I know that a used rig is out there amongst the contest community and I
know that the generosity to donate it is there to. Your efforts will not
be forgotten and I'm sure that they will result in much enjoyment for
the students on campus.
Everyone always complains about the lack of youth in the hobby today and
no one appears to know exactly how to attract it. That youth will come
if it's given a little inertia. I've seen that inertia in the contest
community first hand and I know that at least one contester out there is
willing to share a little of theirs. I hope that someone will prove me
right. Thank you very much for reading as well as for your time.
73, Nat, WZ3AR
<nat@ajheatwole.com>
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