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

[CHRIS COLCLOUGH]

Well said Gerry.

I have been following this and all the other threads that have branched off at a 
tangent, and all I translate it into is jealousy. Jealous that they have not, 
and probably never will, receive the invite to operate at a "super" station due 
to their negative attitude. I salute Paul, Don, and others who offer a newcomer 
- or old "f**t" for that matter - the oportunity to go and learn how to operate 
in a team. I know of one station that every contest operates field day style and 
invites scouts and many newly licenced operators to come along and see what it 
is all about. They get the chance to sit with experienced ops who show them the 
ropes and then encourage them to have a go, heck even I get the occasional 
invite to go and assist!

A couple of people have already said that it is the need for immediate 
gratification that puts new licencees off contesting, plus the negative of "you 
will never win anything using 100w and a wire!" attitude that comes from some of 
the older fraternity (and I am not meaning every one, just a minority). This is 
probably the case in some respects, but not all. I think it is the attitude of 
many members of radio clubs. I visit a number up and down the country doing 
talks and just for a social evening and I get the same thing said everytime "it 
is the contests that spoil our hobby! You can't get on the air and chat when 
they are on, every weekend another one!" Which again will immediately put off a 
newbie because they then think that you have to have 1 megawatt and a stacked 8 
over 8 for 80M to enter! What tosh and bunkem!

On my wall are certificates for 1st place England from the CQWW SSB contest for 
low power 28MHZ 2004 to 2006 (I have been operating from other stations since 
then as a team) where I used 100w to a Cushcraft MA5B at 23ft. OK not a wire, 
but I had to maximise every contact for the points as it was when 10M was not at 
it's best. I have other 1st place certificates for other contests and bands, 
again using low power and a wire on the lower bands, from my town centre 
location - and when I say town centre I mean town centre, look on google earth 
for my postcode off QRZ.com where you can see my antennas - that have come from 
hard work and utilising time before and after the contests to improve my 
operating skills. Oh and the CQWW certificates were with a FT897, heck I might 
even have a go this year on 10M just for the fun using the Hexbeam and FT1000MP 
if I don't go to MC0SHL!

So instead of berating these guys, lets encourage them. After all we are on this 
forum because we enjoy contesting don't we? Oh and as a final. For thhose that 
are saying that there are not enough sections in contests have a read of the 
rules, especially the big ones! Again (sorry if this sounds like a brag) I have 
on my wall a certificate for coming world 2nd place in the IOTA contest, simply 
because I entered in a section that I knew I was competing with stations 
similarly equipped to myself. 


Hope to work you all in CQWPX SSB at the end of March, will be at MC0SHL -  
again a field day style station as we have to erect any antennas before hand - 
on 80M as I want to try a new antenna for the club.

 
Chris Colclough
G1VDP
http://www.g1vdp.com
http://www.mc0shl.com

"If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes"

Tel: 024 7673 5940
Mob: 07825 633000
QTHR




________________________________
From: Gerry Lynch <me at gerrylynch.co.uk>
To: UK Contest Reflector <uk-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, 22 February, 2011 20:19:12
Subject: Re: [UK-CONTEST] [3830] ARRLDX CW G6PZ(GI0RTN) SOAB HP

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
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