Thanks to all for your comments, suggestions. Yes, even you Dan... but you
need to step back a bit and consider all of the aspects of our hobby. And why
would I want to settle for repeater hopping with an HT when I have a perfectly
good FT897 that runs 20w on SSB from the backpack portable? Hiking up to the
tops of mountains in 3 states and activating 6 different grid squares is my
goal for next weekend.
Taking the contest logs, analyzing them and reporting the results not only
to the contest managers, but the local ARES groups has always helped us prepare
and set-up relay stations and portable repeaters when needed. Its nice to know
that spot you think would cover good for an emergency is actually a noise
ridden location that makes it inoperative or is shadowed into the area you need
to cover for that emergency before it happens, I like to think it helps plan
the appropriate response ahead of time.
Do I get frustrated with the contesters on 20m at times? I have to admit
that sometimes I do, but at the same time, I also realize that whether I submit
a log for the particular contest or not, they bring out people from all over
the world and you hear places that you would never ordinarily hear because hams
all over the world set aside some time for that contest to operate, just as I
try to set aside this weekend in July to operate this contest. Whether I submit
a log to the contest manager or not, its in my log. I try to work in a bit of a
rag chew here and there in every contest i listen to, sometimes even the
hard-core contesters enjoy a break in the action to relax and talk about their
progress, but they all get a card, all get a confirmation on LoTW and a note
thanking them for the contest contact and welcoming them to strike up a
conversation anytime they hear me.
The spirit of competition is in us all, I'm of the opinion that its
genetically embedded in all of us. If we can combine that natural tendency with
a hobby we all enjoy, so much the better for us and our well-being.
Again, thank you all for your comments, and I'm glad my question got something
else going in the threads to inspire some thought..
73
Greg
N1KPW
--- In digitalradio@yahoogroups.com, "GregCT" <n1...@...> wrote:
>
> Hello and Good morning to all,
> Just looking for a little advise and guidance here. Next weekend is the
> CQ WW VHF Contest, .............
