ARRL SEPTEMBER VHF CO

[bill.lumnitzer at paonline.com]

 Ge> :     A couple nights ago, I chatted with a ham friend who attended
 Ge> the : Gaithersburg MD Hamfest (which coincided w/ the contest). He was
 Ge> evidently
 Ge> : eyewitness to the fact that there were many large signs at the
 Ge> Hamfest : that all said something to the effect: PLEASE WORK K3U-NO-WHO
 Ge> ON 146.5 ! : So I guess it's all fine and well to use advertising to
 Ge> fabricate QSOs ! : Fine. Next thing this hamfester sees is another
 Ge> large sign on a tower : with a vertical beam pointed in a strategic
 Ge> direction: the Sign indicates : HEY EVERYONE - PLUG YOUR HT INTO OUR
 Ge> BEAM AND WORK K3U-NO-WHO ON 146.5 ! 

I saw all the signs to work K3MQH and the tower trailer setup at Gaithersburg
and was kind of awestruck at the time, but I never saw a single contest QSO
made from the hamfest.  Hams just seemed to snicker and pass the antenna
setup by.  I wonder how many Q's Dick's operation netted from this innovation
anyway?  The idea behind the signs of course was to get people to call in
on FM on their way home.  I really don't see anything wrong with this!

Word has it (from one of the K3MQH ops) that Dick had no prior knowledge
of the antenna setup and solicitation that occurred and doesn't even know
who pulled it off.  I chatted with the chap at the hamfest and he obviously
didn't know Dick since he didn't even know his name!  Stranger than fiction
folks... :-)

73 de Bill, N6CQ/3  (n6cq at paonline.com)