Leigh,
At the time I started doing SO2R (without computers) and with
manual logging and manual duping (UGH!) in the early 80's
in DX contests, I was not aware of anyone else doing SO2R
as we know it today. A few years later when I started operating
at KM1H (1987) for the DX contests (still manually logging/duping)
as far as I knew, there was still no one in the top-ten doing
SO2R.
To me that means the practice of SO2R had been abandoned.
Or maybe, that the guys that were doing it had moved on to Multi's
and/or other categories of operating by then.
Since it apparently had been so effective a strategy, I was wondering
why so few (if any) people were operating SO2R (one transmitted signal)
at that time. By 1990, quite a few other operators had begun to operate
with SO2R in DX contests and of course we all know how important
and mainstream it has become as an operating strategy since that time.
Regarding your comments on logging and dupe sheets, they were a HUGE burden
back then. When the rates were real good, you had to choose between going
slower
and duping everything, or letting it go and working lots more dupes, missing
obvious mults and then STILL having to dupe while you operated later, and
when you were much more tired..
I remember (back when the G4 callsign EXPLODED with new licensees)
having a SEPARATE dupe sheet just for G's! In fact at one single band
ARRLDX SSB 20 meter operation from W2YV sometime around 1984,
I actually worked 420+ G stations! Even the "G" dupesheet was completely
overflowing with calls.
There were log pages and dupesheets all over the place TIMES 6 bands!
Then there were the occasional coffee and water spills and food stains on
the logs and if your very fast handwriting was hard to read (mine was) you
stood to lose additional points if the logchecker couldn't decipher the
calls..
I remember using a computer to log for the first time as a SOABHP entrant
in the ARRLDX1990 and computer controlling a TS 940 for the first time in
1992. A LOT less fatigue and a lot more efficiency with mults and dupes.
A lot more FUN to operate - ESPECIALLY when using the computer to
setup the low band split freq. operation!
WHAT A DIFFERENCE!
Bob KQ2M
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