Looks like we are headed to the mountain for the June contest which is great news.  Having talked with several of the 6m ops I do have a request that I need all of you to help us with.  The one thing that is not liked about the new 6m operating position in the cooking trailer (Little White) is the increase in environmental noise.  No it is not the sound of pancakes cooking: it is all of the visiting that goes on in the same space.  We are all getting older, well most of us are, and that means our ability to hear is decreasing.  We compensate by talking louder.  And that makes it harder for the 6m ops to hear what is going on on the radio.

I have talked with friends who have gone on DXpeditions and they all talk about the MEG (Meet Eat and Greet) tent.  The operating positions are pretty much sacred ground and if not operating the expectation is you take it to the MEG.  Our MEG is under the two popup shelters.  I understand that bad weather will usually drive folks into the trailers.  If that happens, please respect the operators and keep voices down if just "visiting."

We will try the current arrangement one more time.  We are not doing microwaves so that means there is an open operating position in Great White.  I have talked to the Old Timers and no one seems to have a cogent reason as to why 6m is not in Great White.  Should tittle White prove to be too noisy in spite of being asked to "keep it down" as the 6m band captain I will move 6m back into Great White.  That would make Great White the operating trailer and free up both the cooking trailer and the tents for MEG activities.  There may be other solutions but these are the two that come to mind.

Certainly shooting the bull is part of the tradition of going to the mountain.  I do not want to thwart that.  But please, keep it down when you are around the operating positions, especially 6m.

Thanks and see you up there.

Johnny K4SQC

6m Band Captain