[UK-CONTEST] BERU

[Roger Parsons]

Another enjoyable BERU, with a few little glitches. I
attempted, and failed, with a new configuration - SE2R
(single ear 2 radios). I had a heavy cold last week,
and didn't realise until I started that my hearing in
my left ear was almost zero!

I think the reason that there were so few VEs on 80
and 40m was that we were blanketed with very high
levels of QRN, and only the strongest stations were at
all easy to copy.

The QRN has of course subsided now, and my ear has got
better!

I worked C91VB and 3B8CF neither of whom gave me a
serial. Can I still claim those contacts?

On a more serious note, it seems to me that the
Commonwealth Contest has no real reason for existence
these days, apart from being fun for a small number of
contestants. The original name of the contest
described its original purpose perfectly, and that
purpose is simply no longer applicable. Back in 1968 I
made a few contacts as 5Z4LE; Andre 5Z4KL I think won
the junior section, and there were a number of other
East African stations active. That pattern was
repeated all over the world from 'far away places with
strange sounding names'. There are simply very few
British expatriates living and working in long term
positions in Commonwealth countries these days. 

Only a very small percentage of recent immigrants to
Canada are from the UK - the days of the £10 assisted
package are long gone - so most people of British
extraction are at least second generation Canadians. I
believe that the same is true of Australia. I think
that there is probably a majority here in favour of
retaining the Queen as head of state, but it is
certainly not significant, and I suspect that the main
reason is that nobody can think of a better
alternative.

The overwhelming reason for my lifelong passion for
amateur radio has been the romance of it, and BERU is
part of that romance. Unfortunately, I fear that
nostalgia for a vanished world is not necessarily
sufficient reason for the retention of this contest.

73 Roger
VE3ZI/G3RBP





	
	
		
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