[CQ-Contest] How do you get better?

[ve4xt at mts.net]

With all due respect, Shelby, I think this is incredibly narrow-minded.

At its word, your suggestion would bar anyone who is less than perfect from any contest, since we are 
ALL using contests to get better at what we do.

Where else can you practice some of this stuff?

Why is the inconvenience of waiting for someone to sort out SO2R issues any more significant than the 
"inconvenience" of waiting for someone with a Check of 08 to sort out an SS exchange?

We should celebrate people attempting to improve. That's the ham spirit. Pooh-poohing people will 
only drive them away.

73, kelly
ve4xt

> 
> From: "Shelby Summerville" <k4ww at arrl.net>
> Date: 2008/10/31 Fri PM 01:03:34 CDT
> To: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] How do you get better?
> 
> Randy Thompson K5ZD wrote: "Work RTTY contests to learn SO2R skills.  In 
> RTTY, the computer is doing the brain work and the QSOs have a fairly 
> consistent timing and pattern.
> This frees you to practice the keyboarding skills of jumping between the two
> logging windows.  For even higher level of practice, try running on two
> bands at the same time (while never transmitting on two bands at once).  The
> goal is to do it so smoothly that no one listening can tell what you are
> doing!"
> 
> Using any contest, to improve ones skills, at the inconvenience of another 
> participant, IMHO, is  inconsiderate! I cannot count the number of lost 
> contacts, both for me, and the station I was calling, because they chose to 
> make me wait, while they were completing a contact on their other radio. 
> This is especially true with RTTY, as the exchange(s) usually take longer 
> than any other mode? If you're calling CQ, you should be ready to answer 
> any/all callers, not make them wait? When the aforementioned goal is 
> attained, then, and only then is one completely ready for SO2R operation?
> 
> C'Ya, Shelby - K4WW 
> 
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