[Elecraft] K3 in the CQWW contest

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

John wrote:

Most of us are black box operators. We need regulations for the amateur
service that specifies how our transmitters must perform, just like every
other HF spectrum  user...

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That may be true for some, perhaps even "most", but a great many of us are
Hams because we can build and tinker with equipment on the air, including
our own designs. It's not just a matter of technical advancement. It's also
a matter of having fun "learning by doing" building and using sometimes far
from the state-of-the-art equipment.

It's that freedom from regulation equipment and procedure that has set Ham
radio apart from other services. I'd hate to see that change in spite of the
occasional clueless operator. Learning to communicate in spite of some
abysmal signals also makes us better operators -- another key justification
for having our Amateur frequencies even for "black box" operators.  

Ron AC7AC