I can see this. I've got an idea that it would be fun to do Field
Day-style
contesting in the major contests, especially domestic contests. Out
in
the Southwestern desert somewhere miles away from power lines and
neighbors and certainly with no chance of hooking into the internet or
any packet network at all, I'd try to do a contest with the minimum
antenna setup possible to do a creditable job. Some day.
But I'd feel terribly disappointed if I were told by the rules makers
that
everyone either had to get packet or suffer the penalty of competing
at
a disadvantage. People who go on DXpeditions to remote islands
for the DX tests shouldn't be told that they lost because the island
they
picked didn't have internet access or telephone. In America it's
rare that you find people out of reach of telephone lines like Mark
here. But with the way that the suburban developers have been
outlawing amateur radio in support of the profit motive for the last
40 years, I'd have to predict that more and more of our clan will
be forced to the boonies (either in America or outside of it) for
their
serious operating efforts.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Beckwith" <mark@concertart.com>
To: <cq-contest@contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, January 27, 2003 5:39 PM
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Advantages...
> Matt said:
>
> >>Also, I'm sure everybody's in the assisted category as there are
no
> "single
> >>ops" left in DXing with all using packet for the last 8 years
anyway I'm
> >>sure.
>
> Charles said:
>
> > Nope. There is at least one left. Me.
>
> Make no mistake, I don't like packet. However, when setting up for
my first
> ever serious multi-single (ARRL 10M) at my own station, I figured
I'd better
> get on packet, because it would simply be suicide to attempt it
without
> packet.
>
> My station is out in the country. There is no phone. I like it
that way.
> So I dug out an old 2M rig and an old TNC which I bought but never
used, and
> got it all working and then put up a little yagi on one of the
towers and
> tried to find a signal.
>
> There is no packetcluster available at my QTH. There is no packet
network
> any more in Oklahoma. Well there you are. Now, in order to be
competitive
> I have to get Internet to my shack and I don't even have a damn
phone.
>
> Anyway, we committed suicide and it appears we came in 7th (ARRL
10M)
> without packet. That's gotta be good for something.
>
> There's a new stanza in there for Matt's poem somewhere.
>
> Mark, N5OT
>
>
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