[CQ-Contest] QSO B4 + manual dupe sheets (fossil memory log)

[kr2q at optimum.net]

K3ZJ reminds us of paper (manual) dupe sheets.  Wow.

It used to be a real art to creating a dupe sheet.  At the M/M I used to operate at,
I created one for Europe, one for JA, and one for "the rest of the world...for each band.

It was always a THRILL to have to pick up the JA dupe sheet cuz you just knew great
things were about to happen (back when there were "millions of 'em").

And when you had just perfected your dupe sheet to allow enough space for the G3s (broken
out by first letter of the alphabet) and UB5's, you had to design a new one to accommodate
G4's.

And Germany(s)...changing from DM to Y's, required another redesign.  Always something.

I remember one year, driving up to Tuxedo Park NY from my work QTH in NNJ, getting there,
and realizing that I had left all of the DUPE sheets at work.  Turning around and driving back
to NJ to get them.  No DUPE sheets meant no contesting.

Lots of pencils (and later, mechanical pencils, but not with the lead too thin) and good 
erasers.  Having an on-site copy machine was also important (to print out more log sheets,
if you were lucky enough to run out).

Boy, the good old days....hope we never have to go back to that!  LOL

de Doug KR2Q