[VHFcontesting] Pondering

[K7XC Tim Marek]

I think many things changed on VHF+ before FT8 as well...

The 1990s to me were the golden age of Analog Weak Signal work. Many, many
stations were on daily calling CQ on CW/SSB as well as using 3830 HF SSB
and the 20M EME net to make skeds/announce random activation's, etc. There
were regional Clubs and VHF Newsletters passing information around as well
as to help encourage people to try their hand at it.

Many like myself were very actively chasing VUCC on 50, 144, 222, and 432
MHz. Several were just getting going on SSB MS and a few taking their first
steps on EME. I remember working K6AAW in CN80 on 2M CW, portable from
DN21, across all the N/S running ridges in Nevada that shredded the CW
signal as is passed back and forth between us until RRR/ 73s on both ends
was copied and logged.  Or the time I worked KH6HME BK29 on 2M SSB from
Peavine Mountain, Above Reno Nevada in DM09. That was a Pacific Tropo
Record for several years till the huge opening to OR/WA a few years later.
I think I may be the furthest inland he ever worked. All is this is vividly
recorded in my mind because I was the one who sent the signals by hand and
used my ear to decode them. Something completely lost in a 60 second FTx
"QSO".

As time passed, we all worked each other, exhausting the readily available
resource of new states / grids, people got serious on EME as well as began
going higher and higher in frequency {GHz) all which diluted the active
gene pool on the lower bands.

With the influx of HF/6M Radios in the 2000s many new folks showed up but
sadly brought their HF mentality with them and many of the better
traditions of 6M operating were trashed cause they "just don't care" about
the fact that calling frequencies are a SHARED RESOURCE!
CQ & MOVE. To this day too many are still BSing on the Analog calling
frequencies thinking its OK as everyone is on FTx... NO THEIR NOT!

And now FTx has arrived and lured all the NON CW operators to its
Benefits... The advantages of CW without having to learn it, and... its
also automated which encourages Laziness! Just click and work em, If not
right away keep calling as all signals in the Audio bandpass are decoded so
they will get to you in time.

I use FTx as well to chase grids & DX as thats where they are, but I also
still listen to 50.125 24/7 with a IC-746 and a AEA Loop at 20ft. If the
band is open to NV call CQ and I will answer.

On top of all that... Many of us are now 30 to 40 yrs older, and everything
that has brought into our lives... Weight Gain, Slower Metabolism, Lack of
ambition, 24/7 Pain and the meds to cope with chronic pain, Memory Loss,
etc...

Many of the best of us are no longer with us as well, Jim - NW7O, Bill -
W7TVF, Larry - W6OMF, and many more who helped to not only shape VHF+
Operation, but kept the bands alive with their activation of rare grids
each Summer, Weekly SWOT nets, etc.

So NO, the bands are not what they were BEFORE FTx came along... but its
arrival sure has dragged many of the existing VHF+ operators away and
enticed many new to VHF to get involved that never had the patience for
SSB/CW on frequencies that are closed 99.3% of the time. The newest ones
are just out for themselves and don't care how wide their audio is, if
their on the wrong sequence from the rest of us locally, and how their
selfishness ruins the ENTIRE BAND for the rest of us. I have seen this
happen on 6M thru 160M FTx too many times to count!

So the the question is how do we help mold this "New Blood" on the bands,
educate them how to operate properly and ethically while enticing then to
try the many other modes possible on the "Ultra Highs" besides the barren,
sterile, digital existence of exchanging "Funny Numbers"...

Just a few thoughts I have been meaning to share and today finally found
the right words to express them with.

Your Mileage May Vary...

73s de Tim - K7XC - DM09jh... sk

Adapt, Overcome, Succeed!

PS: Many, Many, Many Thanks to the New Breed of High Performance, Portable,
Operators who are going the extra mile to activate the rare grids for the
deserving. Several of us were addicted to that in the past and it warms my
heart to see the tradition being carried on!
Keep up the great work Guys!


On Wed, Sep 25, 2019 at 8:05 PM Dave Clouser <dave at nz3m.com> wrote:

> Activity started dying off well before FT8.  Everyone used to start out
> on VHF/UHF when they got their license.  That's not the case anymore,
> they go right to HF.
> New hams now days don't have that period of time to get hooked on the
> excitement.
> Any new weak signal ops need to be pulled in by peers.
>
> 73
> Dave NZ3M
>
>
> On 9/25/2019 12:44 PM, Zack Widup wrote:
> > Well, how dead was it 5, 10, 20, 30 years ago?
> >
> > 73, Zack W9SZ
> >
> > On Wed, Sep 25, 2019 at 11:28 AM Herb Krumich via VHFcontesting <
> > vhfcontesting at contesting.com> wrote:
> >
> >> I wonder how dead contesting would be without FT8Just pondering
> >> Herb
> >> _______________________________________________
> >> VHFcontesting mailing list
> >> VHFcontesting at contesting.com
> >> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
> >>
> > <
> https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=icon
> >
> > Virus-free.
> > www.avast.com
> > <
> https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=link
> >
> > <#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2>
> > _______________________________________________
> > VHFcontesting mailing list
> > VHFcontesting at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
> >
> >
> _______________________________________________
> VHFcontesting mailing list
> VHFcontesting at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
>