I would love to see a single resource on the WWW, where V/UHF ops
and contesters from all over the Midwest could see who's active and post
their own contest plans, station information, any tidbits, that sort of thing.
I enjoy keeping up to date with certain active clubs via their own email
reflectors. NLRS (Northern Lights Radio Society) out of the Twin Cities
and Minnesota region is awesome for this. Also get a lot of good stuff
out of the Badger Contesters and the Chippewa Valley VHF'ers (in the
EN44 area).
But for those who are just beyond those ARRL-mandated 175 mile club
circles, it can be hard to get info on who's who and when they're going to
be contesting, roving or adding new bands, etc. If more information were
exchanged between the various activity centers in the Midwest, I think all
contesters, fixed stations and rovers would benefit. It would definitely
motivate others to either get on the air, improve their stations or contest
harder.
For instance, I know of no central place where I can keep up with contest
activity for Michigan, Illinois, Indiana or Iowa. And I am concerned that ops
in those states might not be aware of clubs like Badger Contesters, NLRS
or CVVHF. If you want to get the most out of contesting, you need to know
who's within 200-300 miles of you, at a minimum.
I think the closest I've seen to such a directory is either a) this reflector
or
b) K9ZF -- Dan's website. I check both frequently when it's contest time,
but I wonder if there needs to be a more focused and active resource for
those who are in the Eastern Dakotas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Upper
and Lower Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Ohio. Heck,
even into southeastern Ontario.
The existing clubs are great, but they are limited in their geographical
reach. Many contesters are beyond a club's reach or choose not to be part
of a club. There should be a place on the internet where *everyone* who
enjoys weak signal ops and contesting has a home. There should be a
place for those who want to reach beyond their club's artificial boundary.
A message board, a regular chat, an email list, a website, something you
can check into at any time and get news and updates from.
Anybody who has enjoyed the very active 6 meter chat at www.dxers.info
knows what I'm talking about. W4TRH -- Tim (along with the dozens of
regular chatters there) has done more to promote 50 mhz dx'ing fun than
any other place I've found on the net.
Maybe there are some resources that I've missed and if so, please direct
me to them. But I've asked around over the past six months or so, and there
really doesn't appear to be. I'd like to change that. If there's interest, I
can do
a lot of the work to make such a website or email list happen. It's important
for our hobby to continue to grow and improve. As well as extend our reach
beyond club boundaries or state lines.
This concept has been rattling around in my head for some time now. As
has getting an Upper Midwest 432 net or activity night going. But I'm not
going to talk to myself. If there are others who think I'm on to something,
please email and let's start brainstorming. I don't mind taking the lead, but
I would need some enthusiasm from others. This would be a good project
as we head into the less-busy fall and winter months.
73,
Todd KC9BQA
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