[PaQSO] PA QSO Behavior

[Jim]

None of this discussion took place here, but since
this is where the PAQP people hang out, I need to
clarify a few things.

I am a member of a few clubs, one of which is the
South Mountain Contest Club in south central PA.  We
are a small club with a loose structure.  We are a
real club and have an ARRL affiliation.  We also have
a nice station which is used for some contesting.  We
do not have a large number of members.  One of our
goals is to try to recruit others to come operate and
“join” our club.  Many people find it difficult to
show up due to obligations at other clubs or quite
simply, the distance is too far for them.  

I think highly of ham radio.  I am always looking to
make the hobby look good, promote it, and promote the
organizations I belong to.  Discussions were had and
it was decided that we would try to get a club down to
the site for the PAQP.  That club would have most of
the operators and their call would have been used. 
Perhaps two or three people outside of their club
would have shown up.  The ARRL only requires 50% for a
club to claim a score.  It would have been well above
that.  So in essence, we were trying to be nice, meet
new people, let people have fun, and make sure Adams
County was activated in grand fashion.  No contest
rules were broken and everything was completely
legitimate.  All we were guilty of was being too nice.

I know lots of people as do others I associate with. 
It came to our attention that some people across PA
were sending private emails amongst themselves, as
well as posting to reflectors with a broad worldwide
scope.  Many of these comments were quite mean towards
me and my club, were completely FALSE, spoke of
half-truths, or were blatant misrepresentations.  None
of the authors chose to speak to me or anyone with the
SMCC directly, they simply shot off comments on a whim
without having any regard for discussing the truth. 
This is quite unfortunate.  

Most people I spoke to didn’t feel negatively towards
us.  I received quite a few thank you’s.  Many clubs
were happy we acknowledged them, since some smaller
ones typically do not get much attention and are often
neglected.  

In conclusion, it is quite unfortunate that a minute
portion of the ham ranks finds it necessary to try to
ruin peoples’ reputations, as well as that of a club. 
None of this directly affected the people involved and
they certainly didn’t look into what they were saying.
 Words can hurt, just like weapons.  The damage here
is rather extensive, as I have heard from others who
have stumbled across these comments.  I will be happy
to debate anyone on any issue, but when people resort
to attacking my credibility, as well as that of a
club, the line has clearly been crossed.  That is
unacceptable.  If you must have those conversations,
please do them by phone or in person.  

In conclusion, I do not want to turn the PAQP
reflector into a scandal sheet.  I just want to
clarify these issues.  We have decided not to pursue
allowing a club to operate from the site, so all of
this is meaningless anyway.  If anyone has any
comments or concerns they wish to share privately,
please contact me directly.  I am not mad over this,
anger is counterproductive.  All I can say is that if
things don’t concern you, you shouldn’t get involved,
certain items are not appropriate for general
discussion, and PLEASE know what you are talking about
if you must say your piece.  Also, speak in
generalities, why name specific people and
organizations.  Debate the issue, it is not necessary
to harm people.  Our club has much work now ahead of
us.  We now look like a bunch of cheats, which is
completely untrue.  We pride ourselves about being
open and positive.  We do not manipulate scores or so
other seedy tactics.  

I do not want this to cause any problems, so I hope
people take this in context.  It was meant as an FYI. 
I also would rather not get involved in a big
discussion here, since nothing was discussed here. 
Thanks for all of your time.  I hope we can all get
past this and start having fun with ham radio.  That
is why I got into it.  If we spend our time bickering
and not having fun, we should all give our licenses
back!

Sincerely,

Jim
N3PBH





		
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