[EIDXA] Contesting Station

[Jim Spencer]

Lew,

A great letter from someone who has seen it all.  You certainly can be proud 
of the station you built.  It was a labor of love and a big signal on all of 
the bands.  When I visited K4VX a year ago in September I was impressed not 
only by all of the hardware but by the fact that you had done a very 
sophisticated systems design then built the whole thing yourself.  I'm sure 
that is still possible but I've also noticed the huge investments some are 
making.

You also can feel proud of all the great operators you have mentored.

Thanks for sharing your insights.

73,  Jim  W0SR


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lew Gordon" <k4vx at direcway.com>
To: "EIDXA" <eidxa at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, November 20, 2005 10:10 PM
Subject: Re: [EIDXA] Contesting Station


> Dear Friends of EIDXA,
>
> I agree with Bonnie Crystal.  While the note was tongue in cheek, the 
> writer's hypothetical state of contesting is quite accurate.  As someone 
> who actually has his 1948 CQWW score listed in CQ magazine (as W9APY), I 
> can honestly say that contesting now has less to do with the individual's 
> skill than it has with the individual's financial resources.
>
> When I read in NCJ about stations like VY2ZM (K1ZM) and N3HBX, I have to 
> wonder just where do their priorities lie.  Is it so important for them to 
> be a dominant signal into Europe (or elsewhere) that they will spend three 
> or four hundred thousand dollars to that end?  Just where does it end?
>
> I have ten towers here at K4VX.  Every one is either surplus USG or 
> recovered Rohn.  I have never purchased one new tower section in my life. 
> I was a scrounger of towers. All of my on-line amplifiers are home built 
> (by me).  I have never had a crane here in my life as I erected all of my 
> towers by myself with my XYL Terry's help and others as ground crew.  I am 
> probably a lost breed.
>
> Contesting has now become millionaires' sport.  With billionaires like the 
> prince in Dubai, and the rock star AA6 - now in Vermont, why should the 
> fellow with a tribander at 50 feet even consider building a competitive 
> station?
>
> I am now 76 years old and can't climb any more.  Terry is now 75 and can't 
> help raise towers either.
>
> No one seems to want to operate K4VX anymore so I guess my station will 
> just remain a memory to those who have operated here in the past.  While 
> we never had the hardware like the new killer stations, we always fed the 
> operators well.  Just ask N5TJ, W4AN (KM9P), NN1N (bunches of other 
> calls), K9PJ, K9BGL, K9FD, K5GO, N5DX, W0AIH, W9WI, WN4KKN, KD9Q, K0CA, 
> and so many more that I can't recall.
>
> 73,
>
> Lew Gordon, K4VX (ex-W9APY, WA9RPK, W4ZCY, VK8LG)
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> From W0SSR:
>
> How wonderfully advanced the new ham contest stations are now, with
> operators reaching maximum scores through machine-like precision! A few
> buttons are pushed by the contest operator to send callsigns and
> automatically generate signal report numbers. Computers log and check
> everything, rotate beams, switch antennas, and even QSY in response to a
> rare DX cluster spot.
>
> Well, the time is now, to take contesting to the next logical step in ham
> radio evolution: eliminate the human factor entirely!
>
> Enter the ultimate appliance: the Automated Contesting Robot (ACR)
>
> Automated Contesting Robot, containing the most advanced computing power
> available, is so much better suited to contesting than humans are. ACR
> doesn't need a human to press the start and stop button, because the
> time/date of the contest is automatically downloaded from contesting
> websites.  ACR roams all the amateur bands freely, quickly and efficiently
> exchanging reports with other ACRs... and ACR is so much more capable of
> exchanging accurate and truthful signal reports than humans. After all,
> computers don't make duplicate QSO errors! ACR doesn't take it personally 
> if
> a frequency is already in use, or if another ACR tries to take over its
> frequency... ACR simply increases transmitter power, swings the beam, or
> QSYs.
>
> ACR doesn't get weary during long 48 hour contests. As Automated 
> Contesting
> Robots become fully utilized by every great contest operator in the world,
> the duration of contests will be expanded to weeks, months, or even the
> entire year. Just think, contest lovers, we can soon look forward to
> continuous contests on the ham bands!
>
> ACR does all the preparation for a contest beforehand, without
> procrastination. The stored credit card information entered by the 
> purchaser
> of the ACR is used for other functions:
>
> 1. ACR orders the 6-over-6 stacked beams required for every band and 
> emails
> contracts to construction crews for installation of the entire contesting
> station hardware system.
>
> 2. ACR orders the IC-7800s and high powered amplifiers for each band and 
> has
> them installed by qualified technicians.
>
> 3. Of course, from time to time, the ACR would also order hardware 
> upgrades
> for itself, such as 100GB of RAM to continue to operate at full potential.
>
> And ACR takes care of all that messy after-contest work before resetting 
> for
> the next contest:
>
> 1. ACR exchanges databases with all other ACRs in the world, comparing
> scores within microseconds.
> 2. ACR orders the immediate delivery of award plaques and gold trophies
> online, which are Fedex'd overnight to the "Contest Operator" for instant
> gratification.
>
> The mundane chores of contesting are now completely solved by the ACR
> appliance, leaving the ACR owner to maintain high standings amongst the
> ranks of the World's Greatest Contest Operators, while basking in the
> eternal adoration of fellow hams.
>
> 73---Bonnie Crystal KQ6XA
>
> _______________________________________________
> EIDXA mailing list
> EIDXA at mailman.qth.net
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/eidxa
>