CW Issue/new rig sales/$$$$

[K7LXC at aol.com]

In a message dated 96-05-24 18:25:59 EDT, you write:

>  Sure, we demand a lot, but 
>maybe not everyone needs all the bells and whistles.  Do you use everything 
>on a radio?  We use to contest with a lot less radio.  Maybe there is a 
>market for a "simplistic" radio that is less than $1000 bucks....or even 
>under $750.  How about kits?  Could be done pretty easy.

Hi, Lee --

    Thanks for your comments.  I agree with your 'bells and whixtles'
statement.  I would gladly trade in most of the b&w for more real-live
selectivity.  It's like a software program, I wind up using 10-20% of it and
the rest is just taking up harddrive space.

    IMO the market isn't interested in 'simplistic' radios or there would be
a number of them available.  Dentron (?) came out with a radio like that
several years ago.  Was it a coincidence that they sank into the sunset no
long after?  Heathkit went out of business because of changes in their market
so I think that kits are pretty much out of the question.  Some reasons: 1)
you can't save money by building a kit anymore (that's the main reason why we
used to build them in the old days), 2) the component density of modern xcvrs
puts building them beyond the capability of your kitchen table assembler, 3)
the market grew older (sound familiar?), and 4) this is the '90's - people
have the money but not the time to work on them; have you noticed that it's a
'plug-and-play' world now?

73,  Steve   K7LXC

>From rlboyd at CapAccess.org (Rich L. Boyd)  Sat May 25 15:51:18 1996
From: rlboyd at CapAccess.org (Rich L. Boyd) (Rich L. Boyd)
Date: Sat, 25 May 1996 10:51:18 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: CATV connectors
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91-FP.960525104947.1317B-100000 at cap1.capaccess.org>


Though it isn't free or even a couple bucks (but still reasonably 
priced, it seems to me), doesn't buying the 75 ohm to 50 ohm impedance 
transformer set, custom made to the sample CATV hardline you send in, 
solve the connector problem as well as giving you 50 ohms at each end?  
Is it W8ZD that makes these?  73

Rich Boyd KE3Q


>From rlboyd at CapAccess.org (Rich L. Boyd)  Sat May 25 16:37:03 1996
From: rlboyd at CapAccess.org (Rich L. Boyd) (Rich L. Boyd)
Date: Sat, 25 May 1996 11:37:03 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: early station
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91-FP.960525113410.1317S-100000 at cap1.capaccess.org>


In a previous message about my Viking Adventurer (50W, 807 tube) and 
S-120/SX-101 station I didn't mention antennas:

First, Hy-Gain trap inverted L -- worked poorly.
Upgraded to dipoles, worked great.

Built 2-el 15 yagi from "Reynolds Do-it-yourself Aluminum" as seen on the 
front cover of QST in 1967, put it on a chimney mount, rope rotator 
(could get from ham desk to outside and back in under 30 seconds).  
Worked great.  

Got out ARRL Antenna Manual and figured out a good length for a third 
element and good element spacing.  Built that, put it on chimney mount, 
broke VS9ASP (Aden) pileup first call, 15 CW.

Grandpa (a house painter) helped me put up 40' Rohn 11 tower, house 
bracketed.  Had no climbing belt, had to keep arm crooked through the 
tower.  Put 3- el 15 on it.

One by one added 4-el 20 (36' boom made of 1-1/4" TV mast) and 3-el 10 
and upgraded to 4-el 15, 21' mast.  

73

Rich Boyd KE3Q


>From n3bb at bga.com (James K. George Jr.)  Sat May 25 18:03:26 1996
From: n3bb at bga.com (James K. George Jr.) (James K. George Jr.)
Date: Sat, 25 May 1996 12:03:26 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: N6TJ's Swapping CQWW Weekends
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9605251114.J21248-0100000 at jake.bga.com>

Put me on record as favoring the alternating mode switches for the 
weekends.  It should liven up the CQWW and give both CW and SSB 
competitors equal chance to give the CQWW a go, given that the 
Thanksgiving weekend is a major family event for many of us.

73, Jim George N3BB

On Wed, 22 May 1996, Bill Fisher, KM9P wrote:

> 
> I fully support NOT messing with CQWW.  I'm sure nothing will change, but
> just in case they are thinking about it...
> 
> >From my perspective:
> 
> SSB contests should be during periods of more light.  If you really want to
> switch some contests, the WPX weekends should be switched.  Moving the SSB
> contest to a weekend where there is more dark, would mean moving the contest
> (in spectrum) to bands that have less available (usefull) spectrum.  Which
> means less enjoyment for the majority since only the biggest signals will be
> able to occupy the small amount of spectrum.  Keeping SSB contests on 20, 15
> and 10 is best.
> 
> 73
> 
> Bill, KM9P
>  ---------------------------------------------
> | Contesting Online... The ultimate           |
> | source of ham radio contest information     |       
> | http://www.contesting.com                   |
>  --------------------------------------------- 
> 
> 

>From kr4dl at mindspring.com (Steven R. Schmidt)  Sat May 25 18:03:58 1996
From: kr4dl at mindspring.com (Steven R. Schmidt) (Steven R. Schmidt)
Date: Sat, 25 May 1996 13:03:58 -0400
Subject: WPX disaster
Message-ID: <1.5.4.16.19960525170358.388fa35a at pop.atl.mindspring.com>

Oh, boy, did I screw up!  First, I went out of town for the week (business)
and didn't get home 'til an hour before the contest.  Then the fatal
mistake..I chose the olympic call, KR26DL, for my effort.
That decision hurt me even more than not checking my setup.  In fact, this
morning I still don't have the radio interfaced, because I'm using IRQ 12,
which CT won't seem to recognize.
Anyway, back to KR26DL...it's a great way to ruin a contester's rhythm.  Of
about 50 contacts, only 2 managed to copy it right the first time.  I
suspect I'm still in about 15 logs as "KR2BDL", even after, in some cases, a
3 minute effort to get the call right.  Search and pounce doesn't work with
this call at all.  I'm now contemplating starting over with KR400DL, or just
sitting on a freq sending KR26DL at a nice, fat 15WPM.  Any suggestions?
Too late now for any kind of serious effort.
73,  Steve    KR26DL (Ouch)