Bob McGraw - K4TAX wrote:
> First let me make it clear that I am not one that participates in nor enjoys
> contests of any kind. Now with that said, I'll proceed to admonish the
> contest bunch as a whole.
It is not my intent to be insulting to you, Bob, but what places you in
a position to admonish contest ops?
> And as Ken said, their operating practice is
> "probably not a good operating practice". Oh boy, is that ever true.
I would agree that there are some bad apples. I believe that in
general, contest ops are the very best ops and have the very best
stations. I'm dismissing your premise.
> In reading various responses from those that are apparently contesters, I
> find one thing that seems to be common thread. They expect to be able to
> transmit 100% of the time.
How would it be possible to be in a contest where points are scored by
contacting other stations and to transmit 100% of the time?
> Now that says they never or rarely listen.
Again, I dismiss your premise. What you state is impossible.
> Should not ones transmit time about equal the receive time? Seems
> reasonable to me. Otherwise a condition producing something like 50% duty
> cycle?
50% transmit time and 50% receive time in either SSB or CW does not
equate to 50% duty cycle.
> Oh we've gotten into the automatic CQ systems that are far from
> productive.
I'll assume that you mean digital voice keyers. Those have now been
around for a couple of decades. Before that, many had tape systems.
Memory keyers have been around for over three decades. We've had PC's
triggering both devices for a long time.
I'm going to dismiss your premise of those not being productive as being
false. Those things can be very productive.
> Basically turning operators into a bunch of "alligators"
> otherwise known as large mouth, small brains.
There you've provided yet another false premise and some insults as
well. Someone who is called an alligator would be someone who cannot
hear but who has a powerful signal. Good contesters and winning
contesters hear very, very well. You can't win a contest by not being
able to hear those who are calling you. The brains of contesters are
likely the same sized brains as those who enjoy ragchewing, SSTV,
traffic handling and other things in amateur radio. Most often,
contesters do other things when they aren't in a contest.
> This basically defines why
> the bands are full of QRM and crap during contests.
I might consider two fellows discussing non-functional body parts as
being crap. If the discussion is going on during a contest, I simply
tune on by.
> Everyone wants to call
> all the time and listen a lesser amount of time.
That's a false premise and it cannot work in contesting. Someone
operating with an amp and good antennas will probably run stations more
than he does search and pounce. A fellow with no amp or with lesser
antennas may search and pounce much more than he attempts runs.
> I believe it is skill and
> not power that wins contests.
You have part of it right. It is skill. It is power, depending upon
your operating class. It is high antennas, gain antennas, receiving
antennas, receiving preamps. It can be hard line instead of RG-213. It
can be ten or twenty or forty feet more of tower. It can be more than
one tower. It is operator will and determination. It is pushing one's
self to the limits.
> I've had three Titans in the shop for various reasons and repairs. Most
> faults have been found to exist due to mis-use or operation by the owner
> which turned out to be failure to properly connect and operate for QSK. One
> due to lightning damage.
Were all of the owners contesters?
> I don't find them to be "light weight" in terms of
> performance or duty cycle for amateur radio service. A 50% duty cycle, 10
> min on and 10 min off, for 100% duty cycle modes such as RTTY.
It is not recommended to run a Titan at 1500w output during RTTY
operation. I typically run mine at about 700-750 watts out in that type
operation.
> Of course if you believe that one needs a 100% duty cycle, legal limit amp,
> then pay the price.
Those who need one and who can afford one, likely will do so. It makes
sense in a way for a contester to have an amp which is capable of much
higher duty/service to obtain such. If that amp is run at under its
capabilities, it will likely have a better chance of having no problems
during a contest.
> And too if one should add 3 dB of gain to the antenna
> then one benefits both on transmit and receive.
Doing one does not preclude the other. Add the amp; add the antenna and
place it higher. Use low loss feedline.
Finally don't feel it necessary to belittle or to insult those radio
amateurs whose idea of fun doesn't mesh with your own.
Dave Heil K8MN
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