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<P>Friends,<BR><BR>I realize that I am but a budding contester and heretofor my "hard core" contesting has been limited to mostly Field Day events, but in general and especially at that event, I have noticed that whenever there is a well-spoken young person ( one that knows "the drill" and is comfortable with the pattern of the exchange, etc.) calling "CQ Contest" on SSB, there is usually a pile up. Additionally, when a contest station is working a pile up, I have observed that it is common to hear the phrase, "YL only please, others stand by" when a caller with a voice that is several octaves higher than the usual gruff old goats appears on the frequency. Whether it is having a female or boy-soprano voice that makes contestants think they are calling / being called by a YL, the benevolence of giving a contact to a "newbie", or something about the pitch and timbre of the young voice that makes it stand out in a crowd, high-pitched voices seem to draw a crowd or cut through the clutter; at least that is my experience.</P>
<P>If my suspicions are right, then maybe we have a cadre of contesting secret weapons at our fingertips that are going unused. And, maybe by exposing them to the excitement of contesting, and the sucess of making as many contacts as I believe they might due to their unique attributes, we can ignite a fire that will draw them into Ham Radio. Imagine the excitement of telling their classmates that they talked to Ham Radio stations in all fifty states, thirteen provinces, and dozens of countries.</P>
<P>If you don't have age-eligible children in your home, in-town neices and nephews make good candidates also. Invite them over to visit with their uncle for a few hours one afternoon and let them help you. Since most of them can operate a computer before they can ride a bike, start them off logging contacts while you do the calling. Explain that you need them to operate the computer while you talk on the radio. Let them listen to what you say, what the other station says, and give them a "play-by-play" so they can follow the action. You might have to slow down your pace a bit so they can follow along, but that's OK, it will still be early in the contest. A good clue that they are getting into the groove is when they can input the other station's call sign and exchange unprompted. When that starts happening, you might even try feigning a bit of deafness and ask THEM who it is that is calling/returning. When they seem comfortable, let them take a turn while you log. If they falter a bit or get "mic fright" coach them through it. Tell the young boys to not be upset and take it personally if they are called "YLs." The one or two extended exchange attempts while they "get the hang of it" should ultimately result in an ear-to-ear grin that may make it hard for them to talk for a moment. Pretty soon they will be whizzing along, working pileups, busting pileups, looking for multipliers, and helping you rack up a good score. Hopefully your computer skills will be good enough to keep up!</P>
<P>Its just a thought; I welcome all differing, dissenting, and derogatory diatribes, but out of respect for the other members of the reflector, please send them to me directly at <A href="mailto:scottstraw@mindspring.com">scottstraw@mindspring.com</A>. Affirming accolades should be sent to the reflector several times (just kidding).</P>
<P>GLITC OM,</P>
<P>Scott Straw, KB4KBS</P></BODY><pre>
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