</snip/> > It was not until I > was relicensed in 1980 that I started to pay more attention to the > various subsets of amateur radio. I was quite stunned to find out that > grown adults will literally spend their entire weekend at a fixed > operating position. My reaction was, "this can't be true, people would > never do such a thing." But I was wrong and they do. >
</snip/> As a fanatical DXer and occasional contester, you are 100% correct, Rick. It is true. My wife thinks I have something wrong with me. Maybe so, but it's harmless I tell her. Maybe I am too competitive? Think of the "hacker" golfer who spends tons of time on the golf course every free moment. He sacrifices sleep, social time, and relaxation time (the golfing is competitive rather than relaxing) for his quest of a par score. Only for me I sacrifice sleep, outdoor time, other hobbies, even eating just to catch some DX. It's an addictive personality thing, I believe. I have never smoked (only cigars, maybe three times in college) but after I worked the YK9G/Syria DXPedition for my 250th country today on 20 meter CW after 30 minutes through the pileups with my 100 watts, I felt like I needed a cigarette and a beer. Same feeling during contests - adrenalin flowing, competitive streak emerging, body tensing. Having said (confessed?) all that, I am concerned that any contest on 30M or other WARC bands sets a precedent which might not be a good thing. But it is balanced by increased activity on the band and interest in a growing field in our hobby (low power digital), which is always a good thing. Conclusion: result is neutral. Mark, WD4ELG http://wd4elg.net
