MORE GAS!

[RKILE at delphi.com]

    To my dear friend Willy,

    In 1981 I was operating W7RM in the CQ160 contest. It was a great
pleasure to see the 450TH's plates glow and to work UK2--- for first west
coast QSO. Rush had the card in 1 week! Wow!
    Two or three years later friends visited that republic and confirmed my
thoughts. They brought back pictures of operating license (20W on 160) and
picture of homebrew amp that would make the Finns----Grin. I guess if your
going to do it. DO IT RIGHT at 500X the legal limit......
    Must have been surplus power in the Ukraine :-)

73 Bob, KG7D
via internet"rkile at delphi.com"

    I'll admit having difficulty determining Sunrise and Sunset times in the
pre computer days!


>From George Cutsogeorge <0006354141 at mcimail.com>  Fri Jul 15 04:30:00 1994
From: George Cutsogeorge <0006354141 at mcimail.com> (George Cutsogeorge)
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 94 22:30 EST
Subject: HP Diodes
Message-ID: <13940715033031/0006354141PK3EM at mcimail.com>

Replacing the filter switching diodes in a transciever increases
the second order intercept by a large amount and the third order
intercept by a very small amount.  Since the use of external receiving
band pass filters essentially removes the second order problem there
is not much reason to spend all that time replacing diodes.  Most
contest stations that run multi-transmitter already use BPFs, so
hardly any improvement would be noticed.  In a one xmtr station second
order would not be much of a problem unless there was strong local
QRM.

Receiving BPFs can be had from ICE or Dunestar or they are easy to
build.

George, W2VJN

>From Garry R. Shapiro" <0006860332 at mcimail.com  Fri Jul 15 05:01:00 1994
From: Garry R. Shapiro" <0006860332 at mcimail.com (Garry R. Shapiro)
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 94 23:01 EST
Subject: Gas
Message-ID: <33940715040133/0006860332DC6EM at mcimail.com>

I have read the exchanges regarding QRO operation with great 
interest, since the high-power issue has been a personal hot-
button. I would like to add my own two kopeks to the flow.

* There is little doubt that location and antennas are far 
more important than power in determining the effectiveness of 
a station. The points made by Brosnahan (W0UN) here and by 
such worthies outside this reflector as Schiller (N6BT) and 
Leeson (W6QHS),who know a few things about antennas, and my 
own comparative observations against local, better-situated 
stations here on the Left Coast have long convinced me of 
that.

* There is little doubt that operator skill is usually a 
more-decisive factor than power.

* It is a given that some hams are more fortunate than others 
in where they are situated, the resources they have 
available, and the degree of sophistication, skill and 
dedication they bring to the party.

However, there are three central and inarguable facts to be 
considered:

1. Although it may be unattainable for most of us, it is not 
illegal to buy property and build big antennas.

2. Although it may take years of effort and dedication, it is 
not illegal to increase operator skill and competence

3. Power beyond that allowed by your country's 
telecommunications authority is ILLEGAL.

There are two kinds of people: those who live by the rules 
and those who do not. 

Parents, teachers, and other moral exemplars reach and 
influence a large number of people, who tend to believe that 
competing according to the rules is important, worthwhile, 
and ultimately invaluable because it enables one to meet 
life's opportunities and crises with strength, to endure 
failure, and to savor victory. Such individuals know in their 
hearts that victory without honor is hollow.

Many others reach adulthood without these civilizing 
influences, and learn that victory is the only goal, and is 
to be obtained by any means, and that any means is justified 
by the need to win. Such individuals know in their hearts 
that victory by any means is victory.

Many factors influence the choices that individuals make. 
Some are familial, some are cultural. One can perhaps make 
certain observations about the preponderance of QRO in 
certain countries and historical traditions.

It is amusing to note the rationalizations used to justify 
illegal operation.

Umanets (UA9BA) thinks it is OK if it is done well, without 
QRMing anyone.  Umanets lives in a part of the world not so 
densely populated with hams, and with a long tradition of 
quietly going around government and law. Given the times in 
which and governments under which he has lived, this 
tradition might be comprehensible.

Umanets is concerned that Russian hams cannot compete with US 
hams because we are allowed 1500W and he is allowed 200W. It 
is common for those who cheat to justify their actions by 
such observations. But I do not compete with Umanets, as I do 
not compete with Brosnahan, nor with Leeson (W6QHS) who lives 
only a mile from me, but at the top of the mountain, whereas 
I inhabit the bottom of a canyon, roughly 24 dB down. I 
compete first with myself, to improve my performance and 
improve my station within its (legal) limits, and secondarily 
with others of roughly comparable skills and hardware. If I 
want to compete with the big boys, I seek a seat at a multi-
op station.

Esteban (W4/YV5DTA) thinks it is a matter between an 
individual and his government. I take that to mean that if he 
does not get caught, it is OK. I saw this attitude a lot as a 
kid in Brooklyn, NY, and even identified with it during the 
turbulent sixties.

Brosnahan, Dorr and others feel that--because antennas and 
location ARE so much more important, that QRO is not a 
serious issue. From a practical view, they may be right. But 
to live near such a station is a chore. To be beaten by one 
is an insult. If a burglar only steals from you things of 
moderate value, is it not a crime?

Scotty, W7SW, related the story of his visit to a Roman 
DXer's QTH. He admired the antennas, the shack, and the ARRL 
DX Contest Single-op award displayed by his host. His host 
was modest about the latter: his friend had done the 
computer-logging for him, he said, and the 14 kW linear had 
performed flawlessly. Noting Scotty's surprise, he shrugged 
and said "Amico mio, es Italia." This is another common 
rationale by cheaters: everyone else is doing it. The same 
could be said for embezzlement, adultery and bigotry.

One local QRO DXer here in California--a pathetically weak-
egoed individual with a need to remain on top of the ARRL 
"Honor(?)" Roll--feels justified because he "is in and out of 
the pileup quickly", and so causes less QRM. While he is in 
the pileup, however, he is 30 kHZ wide. This is not Siberia, 
and he QRMs many.

A Nevada DXer told me, in a chat about 30m, that he did not 
know "anyone" who observed the 200 watt limit on that band. I 
told him he did, too: me. End of chat. He sees no problem in 
running power on 10.1 MHz. He is a highly successful citizen: 
a millionaire living in a state corrupted by gambling and the 
Mafia. It is hard to argue with a man whose beliefs have 
brought him prosperity. Perhaps his name should be "Don."

Somebody picked on Chod Harris' rag because he has a big-amp
ad on his back page. Take a look: QST still prints ads from 
people offering big bottles.

If this is the way people view their hobby, how do they live 
their real lives? Do they employ these same rationalizations 
in dealing with their jobs, wives and children? Is their 
radio and contesting behavior just an abberration, a 
counterpoint and release to otherwise balanced and thoughtful 
lives, or does it mirror and reflect the way they live?

If it is the latter, Marconi help us!

Garry Shapiro, NI6T




>From Thomas Stewart Trent <TTRENT at OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>  Fri Jul 15 07:14:38 1994
From: Thomas Stewart Trent <TTRENT at OREGON.UOREGON.EDU> (Thomas Stewart Trent)
Date: Thu, 14 Jul 1994 23:14:38 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: GAS
Message-ID: <01HEPONQ2I2A96WED1 at OREGON.UOREGON.EDU>

Reading this discussion about high power reminds me just how far I have come
from my novice days, wondering what it would be like to run 100 watts instead
of 75.  I feel the frustration of a fellow ham who has been beaten a few times
by a station who has been reported to cheat, not just with power but by using
extra operators for listening (in a single op entry), etc..... Antennas
certainly get you a whole lot more advantage, and a good location is even 
better than antennas, but as NI6T pointed out, to some, winning is simply
winning.  
	Personally, I think contesting should be fun and competitive.  Winning
is not everything, and it's sad to see people here on the west coast put 
together huge stations and mount huge efforts in contests only to lose interest
when they realize that they will not win a DX contest, short of moving to the
northeast.  My personal solution-find a contest/category that you can do well
in, set your sights on the resident top dog-or even better-someone with a 
comparable setup-and fight like a dog!  Afterwards, determine how you could
have done better and how you could improve the station.
	I have felt plenty of frustration when I call a guy in a test who is
30 over for hours, or when I work a low power station in my section in the SS
who has three times my Q total (and I thought I was kickin').  But, I have 
also won my class in FD running 5w, and nothing beat the thrill of 40-50/hr
on 15 during the sunspot minimum. Huge power will get through pileups, but it
will not pull through weak ones, choose the right bands at the optimum times,
or keep the focus necessary to excel.

					Tom Trent AA7NH (ex-WA6PZL)
					ttrent at oregon.uoregon.edu
p.s.quote from dissatissfied customer at DX Engineering antennas, "Well, your
5 KW balun worked just fine with 5 KW, but when I put the amp on it just blew
all to hell!"

>From Peter G. Smith" <n4zr at netcom.com  Fri Jul 15 12:49:40 1994
From: Peter G. Smith" <n4zr at netcom.com (Peter G. Smith)
Date: Fri, 15 Jul 1994 04:49:40 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: was: IARU Score - 9V1ARU (now W5WMU power)
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9407150459.A19288-0100000 at netcom11>

On Thu, 14 Jul 1994, Randy A Thompson wrote:
> 
> My experience is that W1's can't understand why anyone would run high 
> power (after all, they don't need it).  My experience is also that most 
> ops, even the I-never-run-power ones, will do it if they can.  Much of 
> their "religous zeal" against power is only because they don't have it 
> available for themselves.
> 
> Randy, K5ZD


Randy, I sure hope you're wrong.  I've been involved with a couple of big 
multis - and there has been some testimony on the net about others - and 
none of the ones I have personal knowledge of had enough plate 
dissipation in the final to run meaningful superpower.  

73, Pete N4ZR