[PaQSO] Saturday Night

[Ron Notarius W3WN]

Jim, I'm not by any means insensitive to your feelings on this.  But I'd
sure hate to see that last hour go away.

I have had several occasions during the last few years to really treasure
that last hour.  A few highlights:

-- The year my (first) wife informed me that the Church "couples retreat"
she had signed us up for was on the PaQ weekend, not the following one.
Which shot Saturday for me until I could get free and down to her brother's
place on the family farm in Greene; I didn't get on the air until something
like 7 PM that Saturday.

-- The year KQ3DX got married early Saturday afternoon, and N3SRC(SK)'s son,
my (current) wife's cousin, got married the same Saturday late afternoon.
By the time we got back home from the reception, it was after 10, and I
didn't get down to the shack right away, so I barely had 2 hours for 80 and
75 meters.

-- The year I went up to Clarion with the N3SH M/M team, and ran down to
Forest on my own for most of Saturday afternoon and early evening.  Operated
with N3SH most of the evening, but I had to be home the next day, so I
headed home late that night.  Did run 10 meter mobile (all I had at the
time) on the way home and worked N3SH a few times for a few new counties,
one of which was at 12:45 AM.

-- This year?  Due to some scheduling snafu's, the football game my daughter
was at, as a cheerleader, got pushed back to later afternoon -- and then the
referee never showed up, so there was another delay until they got a
volunteer.  That extra hour from midnight to 1 AM gave me a few Q's that I
wouldn't have gotten otherwise -- including two Hawaii station in another
contest (Oceania DX CW, I think) for my Pacific Section multiplier on 40 CW
in the last 5 minutes before 1 AM.

So, with all due respect, no, I wouldn't want the times changed or adjusted.

Now if a mobile station doesn't want to operate until 1 AM, that's
understandable.  But that' one of the reasons why mobiles are in their own
category anyway, right?

73, ron w3wn

-----Original Message-----
From: paqso-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:paqso-bounces at mailman.qth.net]On Behalf Of Jimk8mr at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2007 3:18 PM
To: paqso at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [PaQSO] Saturday Night


I'd like to solicit observations and comments on a different  topic.

Is there significant activity after midnight (local) on  Saturday?  Has
everybody already worked everybody else by then? Is that  last hour indeed
worthwhile?

I ask from the perspective of a mobile, for  whom after driving nearly seven
hours after dark, arriving at a motel at 1 am  and trying to get settled in
a
strange place, is not much fun. When we need to  be up by 8 am at the latest
to get moving on Sunday morning, it leads to a  rather short rest period.

That last hour can be a slow period for us, as by then 80 meters  is pretty
much the only band with action. 80 (75) meters with a 7 foot antenna  is
difficult. Though 80 CW can be OK, I'd think any mobile trying to operate
primarily
SSB would be very frustrated being limited to 75 or 40 at that time of
night.

If the fixed stations find this last hour to be a good time, so be it.  I
know the contest is not only for mobiles. But if the view from the guys  at
home
also is that the last hour is a drag (if they're not already  in bed), might
consideration be given to ending at midnight (0400z) Saturday  evening?


73   -   Jim     K8MR

Team W3USA (/m)




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