[VHFcontesting] Very poor contest in FN55

[Jonesy W3DHJ]

On Wed, 13 Jun 2018, David Olean wrote:

>    I know what you are saying about 144 MHz. That has always been my
> favorite band from the time I heard my first signal while standing on a
> branch in our apple tree. My brother and I were using a walki talki kit
> that had a 19" whip and a 3A5 in a super regen receiver. That was in
> 1961.  Lately 144 MHz has taken a big hit in activity.  Part of this is
> that the old crew of VHFers is dying off. These were the guys who made
> big antennas and homebrew KWs in an effort to push the limits and really
> learn about the propagation. Sam Harris was a prime example. Others were
> W4HHK, K2UK/ KH6UK, W8PT, W5RCI, K4IXC, W8KAY, W2AZL, and hundreds just
> like them.  They are all dead now and times have changed.  Add in the
> digital phenom and the band is not the same.  My hat is off to KA1ZE for
> keeping the flame alive.
>
> I am quite upset about the FT8 situation.  I could be wrong, but it is
> looking like a race to the bottom as far as I can tell.  It is a way to
> play with no understanding of CW, so it opens up potential DX to those
> with none of the skills that make a good VHFer. The activity then
> attracts others because that is where the action is.  I am quickly
> losing interest in VHF with all the digital modes as it disconnects me
> from hearing the actual propagation. I lost EME and meteor scatter and
> now I am losing troposcatter.   I went to 160 meters in hopes of finding
> a new challenge, but FT-8 is taking over there as well.
>
> I got two bands back up and running with help from AA1VL and K1BX. Art
> operated mostly on six. I made a few contacts on 144, and we did not do
> any digital mode activity at all. He was strictly CW and SSB and loved
> every minute of it. He lamented that many DX grids were only on FT8 and
> he was shut out  as a result. We did hook up an FT8 setup beforehand,
> and got it working but decided not to bother with it in the contest.
>
> I am rapidly losing interest in VHF and it breaks my heart.
>
> Dave K1WHS

What he said!

The seemingly headlong rush away from actual human-to-human contact
in amateur radio saddens me greatly.  Where once we had ham radio
VHF contests; we now see computer radio VHF contests.

Soon, with autonomous vehicles, even the rovers can stay home and
not have to actually talk to anybody.

Jonesy W3DHJ/r -- usually DM87, DM88, DM77, DM78
-- 
<pre>  Marvin L Jones     | W3DHJ      | W3DHJ  | https://W3DHJ.net/
        Pueblo, Colorado  |  @         | Jonesy |     __ linux FreeBSD
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