Good QRZ page on the contests problem.

[gil]

http://www.qrz.com/db/GW4ALG
Forwarded to me by Ray, thanks!

Gil.

[madball13]

I always understood your dislike of the contesting but never felt the pain of it until this weekend when i was trying to access a BBS during the RTTY contest. I though night would hit and i would be able to link up on 80, ohh hell no, they were everywhere.

[RadioRay]

RTTY contests - they simply over power the CW bands, usually for two days at a time.  No respect for others in their seemingly endless quest to feel like they amount to something, based upon how many invisible points their computers can accumulate. 

I believe that of the reasons why national "Ham" organizations will side with contesting rather than the other 90% of hams, is probably advertising and revenue related.  This is not limited to hams.  Publications and media in general is 'owned' by advertisers.  High powered, equipment users buy a lot more than the home builder, the QRP people and etc.  I saw the same thing in sailing, where 90% or more of REAL WORLD sailing is never seen in the glossy magazines and TV shows selling those million dollar trinkets, hence - most people are under the impression that all sailors are rich. (Moo-ha-ha-ha!). That is because most REAL sailing does not yield high dollar boat sales, the latest electronics & etc.


>RadioRay ..._  ._

[gil]

We do have a power limit set at 1500W. Though I am a libertarian, I think a limit is necessary to prevent individuals from overpowering the bands.. I just think it should be 100W.. I would even not complain if the limit was 25W... Actually nobody is supposed to use more than necessary to make contact... When is that applied?
It would be so easy for contest organizations to impose gentleman's rules to the participants and deduce points from the offenders.. But oh wait... Organizers are contesters  :o

Gil.

[kat]

I did a few ssb contact via a contest last summer with my ft817....and pretty much gave up on it because you got guys running kilowatt as there exchange and auto voice key so when they stop transmitting the pile up was instant.....

My 7 yr old daughter loves when daddy plays radio and talks to people vs when I run digital mode she doesn't get it....

QRP for me its fun and challenging



Sent from my HTC Aria

[Archangel320420]

GW4AGL RIGHT ON! I can not giive myself to sell my rigs though. I ain't THAT upset yet.

I guess I say, let the contesters have the weekends, but lately the contesters have just been obnoxious to me. I do not turn on the rigs at all on weekends. There is more contests than ya can shake a stick at  :)   

18 Mhz is clear of contests thats about it.
Terry

[IT Tech]

I don't know what the relevance is to this forum, due to the fact that the ARRL has no bandplan as far as I know, of a certain segment of a band that is set aside strictly for contesting.

Having worked some emergency situations in the past, it has been my experience that those that only uses the radio for contesting, or for rag chewing are usually the ones that are of no use to those that are doing Ecomms, due to the fact that those people has invested a specific amount of money into their transceivers and amplifiers and they do not want to risk any damage from lightning etc, so they go QRT when danger is present, they do not volunteer to do anything to be of any help and when the smoke clears, they just want to go back to their contesting or rag chewing.

I think that the FCC should make it a requirement that everyone that has a license, should have to do some type of work that is beneficial to the public - be of some service.
There are too many people that are just out for themselves.

[gil]

I think that the FCC should make it a requirement that everyone that has a license, should have to do some type of work that is beneficial to the public - be of some service.

That would be the day I quit Ham radio. We don't live in a communist dictatorship here. Ham radio while it can be used for emergencies is a hobby. Maybe people who like to bicycle should be required to deliver the mail too? Without pay. Maybe hobbies that do not benefit the public should be illegal, what about that?

That kind of thinking is what I detest the most in the world today. It is the most immoral, insidious poison there is. I will fight ideas like that teeth and nails. >:(

I have nothing against serving the public. I've done it before and I might do it again, VOLUNTARILY!

Gil.

[Archangel320420]

On a more positive note...   "CQ NA"  haaaaaaaaaaaa   Luv you guys.  Terry

[Archangel320420]

Maybe we could have a radio prepper contest? Whoever can purify the most drinking water and drink 5 ounces per QSO, tie fancy knots with 550 paracord at the same time as working CW, wins.  All entrys must be verified by YouTube videos.   :)

[RadioRay]

ArchAngel - I think that you might be on to something.  Have a contest that means something and is good training.

> No more than ten contacts at a single location, next location to be at least 1 mile away.




> Points awarded for successfully passing a 20 word, One Time Pad, cipher text message at each contact. If it fails to decrypt, no points.




> Power for the ham station must be generated by the operator at time of use.



That should cut down on kilowatts, clutter and QRM.


Moo-ha-ha!


de RadioRay ..._ ._

[Archangel320420]

Haaaaaaaa  Ray.   You army nut.  I did not think of the change in location. I think it should be done by compass, at night only, with trip wire along the way.

[gil]

Don't call it a contest :o A "challenge" maybe. Being able to call another member of this site as far away from a road as possible, how's that? Extra points for CW and as Ray says, power has to be generated after departure. Extra points for each day spent in the boonies.. No parachuting in and no engines..

Gil.

[Archangel320420]

I vote Gil to be removed from this site since he will not allow parachutes in the contest. So there.


Ummmm I mean "in the challenge"  not  "In the contest"   sorry
Terry

[KK0G]

I'll have to check a map to verify but I believe last summer I was about 3 miles from the nearest road on my backpacking trip (it's damned difficult to get very far from a road in Iowa!). I can collect the extra points for CW but I didn't generate any power, batteries only. So what do I win?😎