[CQ-Contest] Best Times Remembered #1

[Art Boyars]

"... I would like to propose that we liven things up for a few weeks on this reflector - by each of us relating a story or two of what they enjoyed or remembered best from their time spent while operating at a contesting multi-multi or multi-single operation....." -- K1ZM.

Wow!  I'll jump at that chance, posting several stories singly (been saving 'em for years).  One variation: you might not be able to tell the best of times from the worst of times.

I think it was back around the late '70s.  K1JX and I operating 20 CW at W4BVV (SK).  Two pairs of Collins S-lines, one for running one for hunting; no transceive for CW.  Remember, back in them days even S-line xmtrs had lots of birdies (spurious VFO outputs) that were easily heard in your own receiver.  At one point some stateside guy calls Clark (the runner) and sputters "W4BVV you cheat! Operating on two frequencies! Gonna report you!!!"  Clark tells me, we look at each other puzzledly, and go about our business.  Maybe he heard me (the hunter) call somebody during the run, but the transmitters are interlocked; we can't do two frequencies.  A few minutes later I find a new one.  I zero beat him, interrupt Clark's run, and start to call: "DX99DX DE  ..."  As I'm sending Clark points that I am not really zero beat.  I'm many KHz off; I zero beat with one of the birdies.  I get as far as "..DE W 4 B V ..." and I stop sending to zero beat properly.  As I grab the VFO knob, the DX comes back: "W4BV 599 ..."  OOPS!!  Clark and I look at each other in a panic.  "Toommmm!!!"  Swap in a different transmitter, cross our fingers, and go back to work.

I wonder if we were getting answers onthe second frequency.  I guess the guy never turned us in.

73, Art K3KU