[CQ-Contest] I just will not send in logs.

[Hank Greeb]

Charly:

I look at it this way.

I operate the way I choose.  Personally, I choose to operate with what 
many would consider a "boat anchor" (Drake TR-5 or TR-7) cranked down to 
5 watts, and have a "cloud warmer" for antenna {a 130 feet (40 meters) 
long dipole), fed with 400 ohm "ladder line" configured as an Inverted V 
with apex at ~30' (10 meters) and ends at about 10' (3 meters)}.  Yes, I 
have a 60' windmill tower which was given to me by the estate of a ham, 
a 3 element 20 meter Yagi and a 4 element 10 meter Yagi from the same 
source, but they remain laying on the ground because I see no reason to 
install them.

Do I beat a fellow down the road who has a 199' tower with stacked 
multi-element yagis on 10 through 40 meters, a quarter wave 160 meter 
vertical antenna (yes, ~135 feet (40 meter), a 3 element steerable 
vertical yagi  for 80 meters?  This fellow runs maximum legal power?   
The whole setup probably costs more than US $200,000.

Some of my contest friends laugh at my setup - tell me that "life is too 
short for QRP" - and say other "interesting things" about my choice.

My goal is to do the very best I can.   If others wish to violate rules 
by using skimmers or DX clusters and claiming unassisted, that's their 
problem.  I generally try to do better than my previous score for a 
given contest.  I DO submit my log, regardless of how few or how many 
Q's are in it.

I'd LOVE to work a HSØ station, so if you're on between contests, or 
don't have a giant pileup on you during a contest, I'll try to squeak my 
"pipsqueak signal" through the cacophony of callers.

Hang in there OM, and remember, this is supposed to be fun!  As someone 
told me "Illegitimi non carborundum" which is a mock-Latin aphorism 
meaning "Don't let the bastards grind you down"  Whenever I operate, I 
try to have fun!

72/73 de n8xx Hg
QRP >99.44% of the time



-------------- Original Message ---------

[CQ-Contest] I just will not send in logs.
Charles Harpole hs0zcw at gmail.com
Sun Mar 17 12:24:41 EDT 2013

Pete, I think the innovators of Skimmer and RBN and the like have mucked 
up my beloved ham radio contesting so far that I, formerly an avid 
contester and high scorer, have a new strategy.

I work my favorite contests as SO, AB or SB, HP, not assisted, as usual 
with all the energy my old body delivers, BUT I DO NOT SEND IN A LOG.  I 
recommend others in my situation do the same.

1.  to send in a log, in one way, means I want to enter a competition, 
and with so many stacks (ant. or otherwise) against me, it is no longer 
a competition for me.

2. to send in a log also in a small way perpetuates the mess as it has 
evolved, and I do not like contributing to messes.

Sign me old-fashioned, 73

Charly, HS0ZCW