[UK-CONTEST] [3830] ARRLDX CW G6PZ(GI0RTN) SOAB HP

[Gerry Lynch]

On 22/02/2011 19:13, Chris Rolinson G7DDN wrote:
> However, categories for 100W to a vertical or single element/wire antenna would be INCLUSIVE in that they give the AVERAGE ham in an AVERAGE location with AVERAGE amounts of cash set aside for the hobby, the ability to be able to compete with his or her fellow AVERAGE amateurs.  What is the objection to that?

I'm loath to continue this as it's an unremittingly negative thread that 
ignores the fact that big guns don't win contests by working other big 
guns, they win contests by working thousands of amateurs with limited 
home stations.  The begruders are setting up a completely false conflict 
between 'big guns' and 'little pistols' which ignores the fact that 
every time I do well in a contest from G6PZ, there are dozens of 
amateurs in California and Japan and Australia running five watts and an 
indoor dipole who either work England for the first time ever or Europe 
for the first time in years.  And that's one of the really cool things 
about contesting.  Everyone's a winner if they work some DX and have 
some fun - but none of this would happen if it wasn't for the driven, 
obsessive, types who are willing to sacrifice serious blood and treasure 
to win.

But I have to say something as I hear people here whingeing about those 
who do well in contests all the time on this reflector and I'm fed up 
with it.  Whingeing about people with world class antenna farms, 
whingeing about people who send CW faster than they do, whingeing 
pathologically almost every time someone in eastern Europe or Italy 
dares to key up on 20 metres in a way that borders on the racist.  The 
skill level needed to compete at the top level of contesting has 
increased exponentially since I started contesting 20 years ago and I 
suppose that pisses some people off.  It must be really sad to go 
through life needing to knock other people all the time, although it is 
an attitude that is endemic in UK amateur radio.

Contesting is a competitive hobby - the name ought to be a big giveaway 
on that score - and if that upsets you, I suggest taking up circle 
dancing or crochet.  Not Crown Green Bowls, because there are actually 
professional Crown Green Bowlers - yes, really - and I'd imagine they 
take it pretty seriously.

Yes, I fancy myself as a pretty good contester and I'm not going to 
apologise for that.  It took years of hard work, not just tearing up 40 
metres with a 3 element beam, enjoyable as that is, but grinding away 
with 100 Watts and a crappy vertical from the inner city weekend after 
weekend, practising on MorseRunner and RUFZ, thinking through what 
actually happens in an SSB pileup to maximise by efficiency when running 
them, learning about propagation and antennas, etc., etc.  And before 
contests doing things like trawling through years of BERU logs to 
produce my own SCP files, making half-hour by half-hour operating plans 
(not needed for ARRL!), looking through cluster archives to see when 
semi-casual contesters from rare countries and zones tended to be on and 
workable in Western Europe, poring over the CQWW logs of top UK and 
Western European contesters to get a handle on their operating tactics 
and psychology, etc.  None of that actually takes money, and as for 
time, you can't expect to get to the top of any game if you don't put 
the hours in.

And that's fair enough, it's only a hobby after all, but don't come over 
all self-righteous and morally superior because you aren't that good a 
contester and aren't prepared to put the work in to become one.

Gerry Gi0RTN