[CQ-Contest] succeeding on a budget/W4AN

[Frank Norton KB8XU]

Hello again contesters,

My posting has nothing to do with the reflector Pete--I enjoy it a great 
deal.  Neither was it a "COMPLAINT" about anything.  It is simply a 
statement of the reasons that I subscribed to NCJ, as well as a wish list 
of ways NCJ could serve a more valuable purpose now that it is "THE" 
CONTEST magazine devoted to contesting.  Now the only one as well.

My post listed the types of things I believe the NCJ should spend their 
budget on.  It is my hope that others will come up with ideas to post as 
well.  It is time for us to realize that we can effect the content of the 
publications we buy and read.  We can effect it directly through 
discussions like this (which I plan to compile and submit to NCJ as a 
suggestion).  We can also effect them indirectly by contacting advertisers 
in the NCJ to thank them.  As I'm sure you all know our subscriptions only 
pay a portion of the actual costs of publishing a periodical like NCJ on 
"slick" quality paper devoted to a niche market of the ham radio crowd.

Even publishing QST, or CQ which go to a much larger audience than NCJ 
relies on advertising dollars to survive.  I don't want to see anymore of 
our options limited---the more ham radio and contesting magazines we have 
to choose from---the more each will care about garnering our subscription 
dollars.  The magazines in turn sell us, as their subscriber base, to the 
advertisers and the wheels of publishing go 'round and 'round.

In summary....yes, I like to read about, and look at the big dollar 
stations. However, I feel that our Journal of Contesting has a higher 
responsibility.  Secondly, I don't want to lose any more ham magazines.  A 
contesting section in CQ (or name your favorite magazine here) is no 
substitute for a Contesting magazine.  And like Pete, I do not want to be 
told that one must have 2 rigs, 4 towers ranging from100 feet to 200 feet 
tall to be "a contester".  And no I don't own a spectrum analyzer either, 
my children have to see the dentist.....gripe, gripe--mutter, mutter ;o).

Let's enjoy ourselves at this, and remember that contesting is a pursuit, a 
quest for personal excellence, and we can all learn from each other.

73 and God bless de KB8XU Frank

At 09:38 PM 10/2/2001, you wrote:
>Frank, this confused me a bit.  Were you complaining about NCJ, or the late
>lamented CQ Contest?  Surely that wasn't about the reflector, since it's free.
>
>I think it is entirely fair to want more info about budget stations that do
>well, or analytical information that can help anyone with a station to do
>better.  I get really tired of asking questions and getting answers that
>say, in essence, unless you have an HP network analyzer to put on the case,
>you're not going to do anything useful.
>
>What would you like to see.  I'm sure K7BV would like to know, and so would
>us all.


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