[UK-CONTEST] The quest for QRO

[Ian White GM3SEK]

Roger Parsons wrote:
>... What I would like to see is an ERP limit but ...
>
>I would hate to see an ERP limit - it seems to me that that forces 
>everybody down to the lowest level. Admittedly it's much easier in 
>Canada than the UK to put up large antennas (where I am the only 
>limitation is aviation safety - and the fact I can't afford anything 
>massive :-), but even in the UK some stations manage better antennas 
>and more radiated power whilst remaining within legal, interference and 
>planning constraints. Surely overcoming challenges is the nature of our 
>supposedly technical hobby.
>

I strongly agree. Unlike a power limit and the practical/financial 
limits on antennas, an ERP limit puts a cap on *trying harder* - and 
that is absolutely not my kind of amateur radio!

We had a taste of ERP limits in the early days of 6 metres, and it took 
away all the satisfaction of building a good and effective station. Once 
you have reached the limit, it is a legal requirement that any further 
improvement in antennas or transmitters must be compensated by making 
the other one *worse*. What kind of amateur radio is that?

The ERP limit on 6m was necessary at the time, to get ourselves a 
foothold on the band, but thank goodness it's gone and we don't ever 
want it back.

(The ERP limit on 136kHz is different because that actually *lifts* a 
limitation on trying harder. Likewise QRP is different because that is a 
free choice. But enforced and institutionalised mediocrity is something 
I just can't handle.)



-- 

73 from Ian GM3SEK         'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek