I hope that I remember how to send this to everybody. It?s been a while
since I have sent anything to all, but I do read most all of the incoming
though. Of course Vanity Calls don?t mean a whole lot to those of us here in
Guinea-Bissau, so I have to admit that I delete those without reading them.
I?ll bet that Carlos does too.
I enjoyed reading about what happened during the CQWW this past weekend.
I?ve been on the other side of the world for so long that I forget what it
was like back there. From some of the things that I heard during the
contest, I don?t think that a lot of the contesters realize what it is like
on this side of the coin, so I?d like to pass on a bit for what it is worth.
Granted that the people that will be reading this are serious contesters and
therefor most likely not the people that need to be reading it. Anyway, for
what it's worth:
1) I?ve read a lot lately about QRP and the little guns and such. I hope
that nobody thinks that all the DX stations have 70 foot towers, monobanders
and KWs, running multi-op, multi-band, and are supported by manufactors or
clubs. We?re mostly nothing other than normal hams just like you. Granted
that people are looking for us (I was the only J52 on the air) but it still
is rough to get thru the W3LPLs, K3LRs, (no offense meant) and others. I
don?t mention the big guns on the West Coast because I?m in Africa now for
two years, but I dealt with them when I was in Indonesia, Guam and the
Western Carolines. With my R7 or Dipole and 400 watts, I still can?t work
anybody in the contests unless they are at least 57. Getting thru the big
guns to anybody in the Midwest is a challenge. Getting thru to the West
Coast is virtually impossible. I only had three contacts in Zone 3 though I
tried for a lot more.
2) I got to the point that I did not even look in the range of 14.120
(another story) to 14.200 where most of the KWs hang out. The hetrodyne here
ran from 14.120 up to the top of the band. I was able to get most of my QSOs
from 14200 and up. I didn?t hear the 7 station running split that K9VV
mentioned, but I did hear a lot of the more common African stations come up
and go right to split on 20M. I find that irksome for lack of a better word.
When there are stations jammed in all the way from 14.120 up to the top as I
said, the last thing you need is to have somebody take ten or fifteen kc?s
out of the middle. If we were talking about one of the top ten rare DX
sites, I could understand it, but a W7? Get real.
3) My biggest pain of the contest was trying to work a JW5 station. No big
deal you say? It is when you have to work thru all of the EU stations plus
the US big guns. Fortunately he was kind enough to give a break and ask for
stations outside of EU and NA. Of course right at that moment some US
station came right on freq and started calling CQ Test. Never asked if the
freq was busy and obviously didn?t even listen or he would have heard the
pileup. They finally got him chased off but the JW5 was back working EU and
NA again. Nothing to lose, so I joined the melee. At this point a couple of
the Big Guns (I?ll not mention calls but they didn?t get the J52 multiplier)
start calling me to go up two KCs, so obviously they had heard the pileup
that I was trying vainly to get thru. That didn?t work so they tried getting
a half KC off and calling CQ Test. I finally gave up and never got the Zone
40 that I need for WAZ.
4) The second biggest pain is those multi-op "DX-pedition" stations that
want the DX stations to QSY and work them on all the bands for multipliers.
This is kind of like the Packet spotting situation that everybody has been
talking about only worse. Here I am single op and single band and they want
me to leave 20 and run off to 40 or 15 or wherever. Meanwhile the guy
sitting at home back there with his 100 watts and dipole that would love to
work a bit of DX misses out on at least one DX station. I must have been
asked to do this at least twenty times. I did it for the first couple and
then decided no, that I had to think about myself or these guys would have me
off my band for most of the contest trying to make contacts when the stupid
bands weren?t even open. NOTE: If anybody wants to make a DX-pedition to
Bermuda or someplace like that, I will be glad to leave Guinea-Bissau and
help out. It?s a hard decision, but a Ham has to do what a Ham has to do.
:>)
Sorry to have rambled on so much, but I wanted people to think about the
other side of their DX contact. Next time, think about J52IM outside
refilling the generator so he has enough electricity to finish the contest;
squashing the swarms of mosquitos so that his log book looks like it has
measles; and trying to work the one station that he needs while you need to
work him. I must be a glutton for punishment as I'll see you in the next
one. 73?s, Dave - J52IM
Dave Bendt - A.R.S. J52IM Home: KC9IM
U.S. Embassy - Bissau, Guinea-Bissau (CQ35-ITU46)
ex: 4K0IM,TL8IM,YB0AIM,KH2AD,KC6GZ,WD9EWZ, etc...
QSL all via KB9XN (Howard in IL)
PLS Send an SASE with your QSL for a direct reply - TKS
>From l38217@alfa.ist.utl.pt (Pedro Pedroso) Mon Oct 28 12:02:37 1996
From: l38217@alfa.ist.utl.pt (Pedro Pedroso) (Pedro Pedroso)
Subject: Little guns revisited
Message-ID: <Pine.OSF.3.91.961028114254.26781A-100000@alfa.ist.utl.pt>
On Sat, 26 Oct 1996 rwerner@usit.net wrote:
Hello !
There are a few things I'd like to write about what has been told
here !
> From: rwerner@usit.net
> To: cq-contest@tgv.com
> Subject: Little guns revisited
>
> I don't know anymore. I think entering contests for me is a thing of the
> past. I used to enjoy contest, but anymore it's: Let's see how much power,
> people and antenna, I can use to beat the other guy..
I don't think everyone really feals like that, anyway you can be
one of those who still belive in the "true spirit" not forgetting
that this is a competition. Remember that HAVING FUN is the most
important when you participate in a contest. Also, if you cannot
win at least help others to do it, by giving them the points they
get with your QSO !!
>
> Where's the fun? Where's the QRP stations? Why does it seem my signal
> stops at the end of my coax?
>
There is a QRP cathegory (less than 5W) and a Low Power (less than
100W), they were created thinking about people who don't have
1.5kW and super antenna farms !!
> I live in a subdivision that has no antenna restrictions, however, not
> wanting to upset my neighbors with a huge antenna array, plus a lack of real
> money, I only have a mosley ta33jr up 32'. I can and will only run 100
> watts into this antenna. Add to that an 80 meter dipole that is only up
> about 30', and you have my "antenna farm."
>
> I realize I can't run with the big dogs, so should I just stay on the porch?
If you enter Low Power you are not running with the "big dogs", you
are competing with others like you !
> While wearing my voice out on the CQ WW DX contest this weekend, I thought,
> is it really worth it? Can a little pistol survive in a sea of 1500 watters?
Yes it can !! I would trade my TH2-MK2 for a TH7-DX rather
than a 1kW LINEAR !!!
Don't tell me you could compete with the big gunners just
because you have 1.5K output power !
>
> Maybe its time for a contest for us little guys.
The Low power (again !)
>
> PS> Look for me in November Sweeps. Yes, I am a glutten for punishment.
>
> Bob Werner KC4URW Advanced class and proud of it!
> Bob Werner
> rwerner@usit.net
> Amateur: KC4URW@N4QEA.#METN.TN.USA.NA
>
Hope you fell a bit more motivated for the next contest !
Finally I would like to add that I recently participated in the
CQWW DX as SOSB (10m) Low Power and for the last 3 years I used
to participate SOAB Low Power sometimes without having antenna for
80 or 160 meters !!
Even now my station is like this :
TX-RX IC-725
Antennas TH2-MK2 (10-15-20)
Inverted "V" (40)
Random Wire + Tuner (80-160)
73 es CUL in the next contest !!!
| Pedro Pedroso | |
| l38217@alfa.ist.utl.pt | CT1ELP |
| Eng. Electrotecnica e Computadores | Founder member of GPDX |
| (Telecomunicacoes e electronica) | |
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