letter

[Tom at utd.com]

>Open letter to N4MM

<BIG SNIP>

Hail and well met! Needles to say, I heartily agree with everything Bob 
has so eloquently stated. But I would like to draw your attention to a 
little gem that you may have missed on the first reading. To wit...
 
> While it
>might be a good idea to revisit the club competition rules
>for determining categories, with regard to mileage and number
>of entries, allowing dual submissions is not a good idea
>and should not be reconsidered by the CAC. 

If the goal is to increase participation, what better way to do it than 
to than to increase the mileage allowance for the Local club category? 
I know you big club guys will have a hard time getting your brain 
around this, but imagine living in west Texas, or southern Colorado. 
These folks drive 30 miles just to get gas, how can they possibly get a 
radio club together with 10 entries when they don't even have 10 
neighbors within 20 miles. If we adjust the rules to allow all these 
small clubs in the 15-30 member range be competitive, I would think 
we'd see a lot more participation, don't you? Don't get me wrong, I 
really don't expect a lot of support for this idea because you and I 
both know that the goal here is not to increase participation, it is to 
increase the scores for the mega clubs. So either call a spade a spade, 
or put your energy where you say it is, and get behind a rule 
improvement that WILL increase participation.

Maybe I sound a little hot here (and I am), but I'm getting tired of 
all this effort directed toward winning. Now it seems that those who 
can't win are trying to get the rules changed so that they can (this 
comment is not directed at N4MM, but the community as a whole). Why 
can't WE get the emphasis back on having FUN, and LEARNING something in 
the process? How can we expect new people to enter an arena that is 
full of battered bodies and blood? Remember when you were a Tech, or 
new General? Didn't you find someone to help you and answer your 
incessant questions? Didn't you get pleasure from those first few 
contest QSO's when the op on the other end said "Thanks for the call" 
or just "TU"? I just don't like the way our ethics and ideals are 
degrading here. I don't know about you, but I'm in it for the long 
haul, which means we need to look at the future. That, my friends, 
means we need to encourage and nurture need people in this fine sport.

So ask yourself this: Where do you stand, the short haul or the long?

Respectfully, Tom (future former)N2GQS
Tom at utd.com

(I've been dying to test out this new flame suit I got for Christmas 
instead of a DSP.)


>From 0006008716 at mcimail.com (Doug Grant)  Wed Jan 29 01:40:00 1997
From: 0006008716 at mcimail.com (Doug Grant) (Doug Grant)
Date: Tue, 28 Jan 97 20:40 EST
Subject: Call for Speakers - Dayton 97
Message-ID: <54970129014045/0006008716DC3EM at MCIMAIL.COM>

CALL FOR SPEAKERS - 1997 DAYTON HAMVENTION(tm) CONTEST FORUM

The Contest Forum will be held on Saturday, May 17, from 9 AM to noon. I have
been asked once again to serve as organizer/moderator of the Forum.

Based on last year's survey, it appears that the attendees of the Forum are
generally the serious contesters among us, many of who frequent the contest
reflector.

With that in mind, I am focusing this year's Forum on high-end, ultra-serious,
in-your-face, hard-core, take-no-prisoners radio competition.

I am looking for speakers who can share their techniques for station design
and construction, Contest DXpedition organizing and execution, and operating
at the highest levels. I am not looking for beginners' tutorials this year.

The sunspots are coming back, and it's time to start strategizing and planning.

If you feel that you have something to share, and can help advance the state
of the sport, please contact me soon. Talks will be approximately 30 minutes
in length, and A/V available can include overheads, 35mm slides, and video. We
can probably arrange projection of computer graphics if needed. Printed material
is not necessary, but is desirable, since Forum attendees often request hard-
copy from the better speakers. And this year we'll have nothing *but* the best.

Please contact me via Email (k1dg at contesting.com, or k1dg at mcimail.com), or
telephone +1.603.432.4738 if you want to discuss your proposed talk.

As a side note, I would like a volunteer to speak at the Youth Forum for an in

introductory talk on contesting for beginners - we all talk about getting more
youth involvment in contesting, and this is a chance to do something about it.

73,

Doug  K1DG

p.s. KC7V - you are in the log already. 

p.p.s. Will one of the WRTC96 organizers please volunteer for a recap of
last summer's little party at the Forum? Thanks.


>From Fatchett.Mike at tci.com (Fatchett, Mike)  Wed Jan 29 02:20:35 1997
From: Fatchett.Mike at tci.com (Fatchett, Mike) (Fatchett, Mike)
Date: 28 Jan 1997 19:20:35 -0700
Subject: KW8N
Message-ID: <05DCD32EEB3F305A*/c=us/admd=attmail/prmd=tci/o=mailhub/ou=msmaildos/s=Fatchett/g=Mike/@MHS>

Does anyone know Bob's email address?

Mike
W0MU  

>From Fatchett.Mike at tci.com (Fatchett, Mike)  Wed Jan 29 02:42:37 1997
From: Fatchett.Mike at tci.com (Fatchett, Mike) (Fatchett, Mike)
Date: 28 Jan 1997 19:42:37 -0700
Subject: Icom IC-756
Message-ID: <06F0832EEB91D03E*/c=us/admd=attmail/prmd=tci/o=mailhub/ou=msmaildos/s=Fatchett/g=Mike/@MHS>

I just spoke with Gary at Icom.  He told me that the IC-756 is a   
quadruple conversion receiver, DSP counting for one of the stages.   
 Apparently you can put one filter in the 455 and the 8.3 stages.  I   
guess you will be a code person or a phone person.  The DSP is always on.   
 He mentioned that the 775 has more flexibility in the DSP area.

A small number of units have shipped with more expected very soon.

Mike
W0MU