[CQ-Contest] Observations of a Young Ham

[Joe]

I would do a LOT more spotting when just even casual giving away points 
in a test. but running a non computer connected rig, make it a bit too 
hard to do it for every contact that my be begging for contacts.

Joe WB9SBD
Sig
The Original Rolling Ball Clock
Idle Tyme
Idle-Tyme.com
http://www.idle-tyme.com
On 12/19/2016 10:35 AM, W0MU Mike Fatchett wrote:
> Pierre,
>
> Are you not getting spotted on CW or SSB or both.
>
> I have noticed that people are far more reluctant to spot on SSB. 
> Maybe we have just got lazy because RBN spots pretty much everything 
> on CW for us.  You know you can test your signals and look on the RBN 
> to see what nodes heard you.  I use this to test new antennas and 
> compare the results as best I can.
>
> Your story and what you can or cannot put up is a common story and  is 
> becoming more common.  Almost all new housing areas have HOA's or 
> restrictions, which makes if far more difficult for hams to find ham 
> radio property close to their office or area where they desire to 
> live.  Maybe we need to have more classes or create a class that is a 
> base system of a 100 watt radio and a vertical or dipoles no more than 
> 50 ft in the air or similar. Yes I know that CQ has an overlay.  In my 
> mind overlays are like a tie or kissing your system to use some 
> cliches.  Obviously the guy in Maine with the same setup is most 
> likely going to beat the same setup in Minnesota for CQ WW but maybe 
> not in NAQP or SS or some other non  DX contest.  We will never get to 
> a completely level playing field but how close can we get in non WRTC 
> events?
>
> W0MU
>
>
>
> On 12/19/2016 9:03 AM, Pierre Fogal wrote:
>> This has been a very interesting thread.
>>
>> I'm the father of 3, 17, 15, and 12.  My two sons ( 17 and 15) are both
>> "interested" in amateur radio.  It's in quotes because they are 
>> interested
>> when I ask if they are, and they kind of randomly make progress 
>> towards a
>> license.  The 15 yr old is a gamer, and one thing strikes me that I 
>> haven't
>> seen mentioned yet.  When he plays, he plays against people playing the
>> same game with the same equipment, whether a PS-4 or something else.  
>> Not
>> the case in a ham radio contest.  Mike (W0MU) described his station as
>> nothing special, but I would kill for a tower of any kind -- the XYL
>> forbids it.  That doesn't stop me, I still get on and play and 
>> occasionally
>> win a certificate for ONS low power SSB etc.   I also go really far 
>> north
>> and operate VY0ERC, but again, a minimal station - albeit for different
>> reasons. Either place, it is always a much different operating 
>> experience
>> for a 100 W into a vertical than it is for 1500W into a stack. When I
>> describe that to my sons, they get that puzzled look of, er, what's the
>> point of competing against that?
>>
>> To segue slightly into a parallel thread on packets/spotting. I'm not 
>> loud
>> and I rarely get spotted.  I can CQ for an hour and work 10-20 people 
>> and
>> not get spotted.  There are guys like VE3EJ not far away, who is likely
>> very loud, and I'll see him get spotted all the time.  Surely one of 
>> those
>> 10-20 is working assisted and I would have thought that working us 
>> little
>> pistols was advantageous once you've worked all the big guns?
>>
>> Either way, I'll be on for the next one ... and the one after that 
>> ... and
>> ...
>>
>> 73,
>> Pierre VE3KTB
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