wrtc/top-ten contesters etc.

[RFPWR at aol.com]

Hello all:

Having been an active ham for 34 of my 48 years, a few observations:

There are a lot of people who seem to be miserable or very unhappy in the
contesting end of the ham radio hobby. If it is not fun for you, why do you
bother working contests?
When radio is not fun for me, I turn it off and do something else. After all
these years, I still enjoy it, but sometimes other interests prevail. 

Do all the naysayers about WRTC really believe they are in the same caliber
as the chosen competitors? Get real! What planet are you on? Can you pick 5
callsigns out of a pileup at once? Can you work 200+ Qso's/hr or more on CW?
Can you work 2 stations at once on the same frequency? Can you work 60
Q's/hour S&P while running on another radio?

The people who consistantly score tops in the major contests can do these
things. K0HB asked what makes you good? I say the best operators can:

1. Hear better than most. They hear weak signals with fewer repeats, and copy
accurately.
2. Are aware. They can hear everything happening on a frequency and respond
in a timely fashion. 
3. Copy fast. They copy accurately at whatever sending speed is used. 
4. Are efficient. Good operators can make more Q's per hour at 20 WPM than
inefficient operators could make at 40 WPM. An efficient operator at 40/50
WPM is a joy to behold.  
5. Are dedicated. The best operators are tenacious.
6. Are masters at two radio technique. 

So  that there is no doubt, I claim only to be good enough to recognize what
the best operators can do. Who are  the best operators? If I were going to
gamble on the outcome of a contest, I would place my money on the following,
in no necessary order:

KR0Y, K5GA, N6TR, KM9P, K1AR, WX3N, K6LL, KI3V,N2AA,WN4KKN, N2IC, W0UA,
K1DG,K5GN.  I don't even know how many of them, if any, will be at WRTC.
 There are others as good maybe. My apologies to those left out. Would you
bet against these guys, all else being equal?

More power to the WRTC competitors, I think the competition is a good thing
and can only benefit ham radio. Have fun to the max. To the sour grapes
bunch: get a life. 


73, Chas N8RR 
ex DL4CM. WA8FCM