Here's an idea:
How about inviting a newcomer (to ham radio, to contesting) over to take the
reigns of your station for a few contests. Show 'em the ropes!! Many new
ops - both young and old - don't have the resources to put together a
"serious" station. They'd love the chance to play with "real stuff."
The Positives:
1) You get to spend more time with your spouse.
2) Newguy has fun using a good station.
3) Your investment does not sit idle.
4) Your call still goes out over the air and shows up in the
results.
5) Another new contester is born.
The Negatives:
1) Newguy may get good enough, build his own station, and
start beating you in all the contests!!! :-) :-) :-)
73 Mike N0BSH
n0bsh@aol.com
>From AGDM25A@prodigy.com ( KEVIN - WA8ZDT) Sun Sep 4 19:17:53 1994
From: AGDM25A@prodigy.com ( KEVIN - WA8ZDT) ( KEVIN - WA8ZDT)
Subject: WOMEN SUMMRY
Message-ID: <013.01220119.AGDM25A@prodigy.com>
Summary - Women .... now there is a contradiction. Can there ever be a
summary on this subject? The social question of integrating family and
social obligations with contesting defies the normal precise technical
answers to subjects routinely discussed on this reflector. Nonetheless,
many contesters responded....
N0AX wondered why so many contest weekends seem to fall on holidays. CQWW
PHONE often interferes with Halloween activities. (Last year it WAS xactly
on October 31). CQWWCW is always Thanksgiving weekend. (The busiest
travel and family reunion holiday of the year according to airlines).
CQWPX CW is ALWAYS Memorial Day weekend, (the traditional start of summer),
and the ARRL DX PHONE occasionally coincides with Valentine's Day, February
14th. (try roses Saturday afternoon after the European run but before the
evening JA run on 15 meters)...
One far thinking chapp advised that a hams check the contest calendar
BEFORE scheduling their wedding date! That way future anniversaries won't
interfere with traditional contest weekends! (Avoid November).....
Other folks suggested "trading" a weekend of "quality time" for a contest
weekend. Let's see .... there are four major contest weekends in OCT-NOV
... so we'll reserve four weekends of "quality time" from SEP -thru- OCT
... Then there's the four weekends of tower and antenna work to prepare the
station .... and hey! when do you watch the COWBOYS game??????
Finally a number of respondents suggested a new "single-op attached"
category which would allow compensation for the social and family
distractions one might reasonably encounter while attempting to lock
himself in the shack all weekend. Something like (1) special ten minute
time out exemption to the thirty minute rule in case one's XYL calls on the
landline. (because you've already locked the shack door)...
Numerous other responses sympathized with the problem but offered no
solutions. One exasperated ham hypothesized that serious top-ten
contesting and marriage are mutually xclusive.
"... I doubt there will ever be a way to fully merge the two"
Some folks in fact admitted that contesting activities carried them all the
way to divorce court.....
..... "I sold the towers and the HENRY 2K to cover attorney fees"
I also received one response from a YL, who dismissed the WOMEN & CQ topic
as male "whining"..... 88's & 73 ... kevn ... WA8ZDT
>From H. Ward Silver" <hwardsil@seattleu.edu Sun Sep 4 20:08:10 1994
From: H. Ward Silver" <hwardsil@seattleu.edu (H. Ward Silver)
Subject: WRTC Complaints
Message-ID: <Pine.3.07.9409041208.D19153-a100000@bach.seattleu.edu>
We had multiple teams from US and UA in WRTC '90, so I wouldn't think it
out of the question to have more than one team per zone. The logistic
limit of number of hosts, etc. would put a serious brake on opening it up.
Have there been applications, yet? Maybe the problem will partially
solve itself due to participation.
By the way, if anybody deserves to be listened to on the subject of
contesting, it's probably K3EST and N6AA, two of the powerhouses behind
the CQWW. I will still support whatever the WRTC committee chooses to do,
though.
Ward, N0AX
>From oo7@astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills) Sun Sep 4 21:46:08 1994
From: oo7@astro.as.utexas.edu (Derek Wills) (Derek Wills)
Subject: WOMEN SUMMRY
Message-ID: <9409042046.AA14561@astro.as.utexas.edu>
I also received one response from a YL, who dismissed the
WOMEN & CQ topic as male "whining"..... ... WA8ZDT
Well, if you are taking votes, add mine to the above.
How many serious contesters and DXers really fall for the
commercial things like Valentine's Day? If that stops you
from taking part in a contest, you need to Get a Life[tm].
Gee, if your wife only gets your attention a few times a year,
you are in a bad way. I know (or I hope) you meant the posting
to be humorous, but it wouldn't strike me that way if I were not
male.
I think we need more contests, and less of this 'male superiority'
stuff!
Derek Wills (AA5BT, G3NMX)
Department of Astronomy, University of Texas,
Austin TX 78712. (512-471-1392)
oo7@astro.as.utexas.edu
>From KG6AR@ix.netcom.com (CHRIS WILLIAMS) Mon Sep 5 00:01:10 1994
From: KG6AR@ix.netcom.com (CHRIS WILLIAMS) (CHRIS WILLIAMS)
Subject: No subject
Message-ID: <199409042301.QAA26679@ix.ix.netcom.com>
CQWW Phone 1994
ZF2JI Multi-Single entry by John Ataway K4IIF and others.
John is the DX Editor of World Radio.
QSL is via KG6AR Chris Williams
1117 S. Del Mar Ave.
San Gabriel, Ca. 91776
>From modular!liddy!eric@cs.arizona.edu (Eric Gustafson) Tue Sep 6 17:24:00
>1994
From: modular!liddy!eric@cs.arizona.edu (Eric Gustafson) (Eric Gustafson)
Subject: No subject
Message-ID: <m0qi3Jt-00009bC@liddy>
To: arizona!w8hd.org!stevem
CC: cq-contest@tgv.com
In-reply-to: <199409040037.UAA27305@w8hd.w8hd.org> (arizona!w8hd.org!stevem)
Subject: Re: Vertical Yagi antennas
Steve,
To say that the ground is not important to your vertically polarized yagi
is a bit of an oversimplification. The ground conditions around that
antenna are certainly important to the performance of the antenna. But the
ground _that you can do anything about_ (i.e. right under the antenna) is
indeed not a terribly important consideration.
73, Eric N7CL
>From Rick, K7GM" <AONISWAN@ECUVM.CIS.ECU.EDU Mon Sep 5 15:39:23 1994
From: Rick, K7GM" <AONISWAN@ECUVM.CIS.ECU.EDU (Rick, K7GM)
Subject: Feb 95 Sprint Dates
As was pointed out by N1EE, the dates for the February 1995 Sprints
are messed up. I moved the CW weekend after Phone, but forgot to move
them up.
Note that the September 1994 weekends are listed ok.
For Feb 95, Phone is on Feb 5 GMT and CW is on Feb 12 GMT. The
applicable part of the rules should be:
4. Contest Periods. 0000 through 0359 UTC. CW Sprints are September 11,
1994 (Saturday night, September 10, local time) and February 12, 1995 (Saturday
night, February 11, local time). Phone Sprints are September 18, 1994
(Saturday night September 17, local time) and February 5, 1995 (Saturday
night February 4, local time). These are two entirely separate four-hour
Sprints. An entrant may submit scores for one or more Sprints, but he
may not combine his scores. Note that the CW sprint is first in September
and second in February.
Sorry for the confusion.
Rick, K7GM
aoniswan@ecuvm.cis.ecu.edu
>From Richard Hallman <0006135537@mcimail.com> Tue Sep 6 00:29:00 1994
From: Richard Hallman <0006135537@mcimail.com> (Richard Hallman)
Subject: 40-2CD Balun???
Message-ID: <30940905232903/0006135537NA2EM@MCIMAIL.COM>
I just noticed my Coax balun on my 40-2cd 40 meter beam has
gone into self-destruction!
Need to know what is the BEST balun to install on this antenna.
Also the antenna is 10 feet ABOVE the top of the tower and I sometimes
load the 40 meter antenna on other bands....Not on purpose though!
Need something that will not BLOW apart when something like this happends
and is VERY forgiving!! Dont want to pull the TOP antenna down and
replace the balun every time I screw up and load it with the wrong band.
Thanks! Rich KI3V/7 KI3V@mcimail.com
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