[CQ-Contest] PACKET

[N7MAL]

I had actually considered publicly backing off the idiot/moron/loser remarks but no more, thanks to James, WW3S and others. My email inbox has be overwhelmed, like N6TJ's, with folks who seem to have an opinion based on no facts, no correct information, or even worse not even showing a basic skill reading. Lets begin setting the record straight:
1. If you were born after April 1957 I've been licensed continuously longer
than you've been alive. Does that make me better than you, not necessarily,
but it has given me a great deal of practical ham experiences, that you
don't have, to draw on when I voice my opinion.
2. I was one of the early packet-cluster sysops in Southern California.I was
using packet-cluster and overseeing packet-cluster in contests before some
of you even knew what packet-cluster was, or even had a license. The possible exception, to the replies received, would be k1ttt.
3. When you reference what I said reference what I said, not what you think
I said. Someone thought I said "We can no more order DXCluster to shut down
than we could tell.....". Here is exactly what I said no less than 3 times:
"There also needs to be cooperation from the packet sysops to turn-off USA
domestic spots." No where in that sentence do I use the term order or do I
imply order. I asked for cooperation, which based on k1ttt's responses as a
packet sysop, will never happen.

My concerns are mainly with USA domestic contests, my scholarly, learned,
friend N6TJ can speak more eloquently to the CQWW and other world-wide
issues. I'm still waiting for an answer, to a question which I have asked
several times, over the years on this mailing list, "Why spot N7MAL in AZ
section"? Or why spot K3ZO MD section or K9DX IL section. I keep asking why
and no answer other than we need to baby the new contesters coming up in the
ranks. SORRY wrong answer. There are probably 750 active contesters in IL,
500 in MDC(at least it seems that way), and 100 in AZ  If they can't work the
US sections without packet then perhaps they should investigate other areas
of the hobby. The challenge since the very beginning of the SS was to see how many US sections you find and work. Not for one moron to tell another moron what section, call, and freq to go to and get a """"new one"""". 
If you can't operate in USA domestic contests, SS, 160, !0mtr, FD, or anything that ends in QP, without packet  then perhaps we should let contesting die a peaceful death. It's more merciful than killing it one weekend at a time. 





MAL                N7MAL
BULLHEAD CITY, AZ
www.citlink.net/~suzyq/N7mal.htm
www.geocities.com/n7mal



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "WW3S" <ww3s at zoominternet.net>
To: "Nat Heatwole" <nat at ajheatwole.com>
Cc: <N7MAL at CITLINK.NET>; <k1ttt at arrl.net>
Sent: Sunday, June 15, 2003 2:57 AM
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] PACKET


He obviously doesn't know enough about contesting with packet to talk
intelligently about it.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nat Heatwole" <nat at ajheatwole.com>
To: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2003 10:01 PM
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] PACKET


> N7MAL wrote:
>
> > There is no skill involved
> > in watching a packet screen to tell you what frequency to go to and
> find a
> > contact. The only thing you have proven is you have achieved a basic
> reading
> > level and you have enough manual dexterity to turn the knob on a
> radio. You
> > will have proven, by using packet,  beyond any reasonable doubt you
> ARE NOT
> > a skillful contest operator, you are not a contester at all.
>
> Funny, as I understand it, packet can't *WORK* people for you. Call me
> old-fashioned, but working people efficiently still requires skill. In
> fact, it takes a lot of skill, especially when you are running, which is
> the majority of the time for most serious assisted ops. If, as you say,
> "by using packet, beyond any reasonable doubt you ARE NOT a skillful
> contest operator," this means that people like K3WW and KI1G are not
> stilled contesters at all. Such an assertion reeks of falsehood.
>
> 73, Nat, WZ3AR
> <nat at ajheatwole.com>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>     The world's top contesters battle it out in Finland!
> THE OFFICIAL FILM of WRTC 2002 now on professional DVD and VHS!
>        http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~jamesb/
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
>