[CQ-Contest] SO2R - Final Comments

[Rob Shapiro - ND3A]

John, I wholeheartedly agree with you.  If the original posting (which I
have long since forgotten/lost) had not generated the responses that it
did, then I'd have even more concerns.  Good luck in upcoming battles and
will cu at Dayton.

Rob - ND3A

At 07:52 AM 3/7/01 -0500, you wrote:
 >
 >Well gents, this has been a lively debate, hasn't it?
 >
 >Let me summarize:
 >
 >1)	There has been a wide swath of opinion ranging from "it's just
 >competition" to "ham radio is ending as we know it."
 >2)	If you leave a frequency, it's no long yours-period. I agree with
 >that statement (tnx K0HB, N5NJ, others).
 >3)	It is reasonable to try to retrieve a previously used frequency. It
 >is ungentlemanly and simply wrong to steal it back if the new "owner" does
 >not want to give it back. I agree with that statement as well. It's
 >unfortunate that we lose that perspective in the heat of battle or e-mail
 >threads (I include myself in that group).
 >4)	Some operators spend their time waiting for others to leave
 >frequencies. I just don't get that one.
 >5)	W1 stations (or K1 if you prefer) sometimes lose their perspective
 >on the challenges of frequency usage outside of their area. I agree.
 >
 >I applaud everyone's animation on this subject. It has shown that there is
 >still a heartbeat in contesting and that's a good thing. For the most part,
 >we've also been considerate and not turned it into a personal attack. That
 >is also good. The debate has given me reason to pause. We like to do well in
 >contests. But, we also like to do well and maintain  the respect of our
 >peers. I'll take the latter any day of the week, because I (and probably the
 >rest of you) value my fellow contester's respect much more than another
 >trophy.
 >
 >So, let me conclude with a couple of statements.
 >
 >1)	Contesting is alive and well. Log checking, innovation and activity
 >are great examples.
 >2)	We all need to evaluate our on-air behavior. It's a tough pill for a
 >big station to take a breath and say "how would I feel if I were on the
 >other end of this situation."
 >3)	Should we be aggressive and competitive in contesting? Absolutely.
 >Should we operate like arrogant jerks, leveraging our station dominance
 >(where appropriate) at the expense of what's right and fair? Absolutely not.
 >
 >All kidding aside, I appreciate the opportunity to have been a bit
 >introspective here. I hope I'm not alone.
 >
 >73 John, K1AR
 >
 >
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