[PPRAANet] FYBO for first timers 2/2/2

[Wes Wilson]

Paul --

I'm no newcomer to CW, it's been my primary HF mode since my novice days in
1956-7 -- however I absolutely despise contests (everybody's 599 -- even if
they're 345 -- {so what's the point???}).  Seems like an exercise in
futility to work as many liars in as many SPCs in as short a time as
possible.

I constantly hear contesters bragging about how they're "the best operators
in the world," when in fact, most contesters exhibit extremely poor
operating practice -- in fact, blatantly illegal.  They almost never allow
the station they're working to sign clear at the end of their report
(violation of Part 97.119(a) "Each amateur station . . . must transmit its
assigned call sign on its transmitting channel at the END of each
transmission . . ."  And they may try for a long time on a frequency giving
just suffix or, in CW, just first letter of suffix -- never make contact and
never fully ID on that frequency before they QSY.  Then we can talk about
the way the contesters treat non-contesting stations on the bands -- paying
no attention to not QRMing the non-contesting stations -- boy if there is
contact to be made 1/2 Kc off a non-contesting station -- they don't care.
Hey, there's a contest on -- the rule book goes out the window!  CQ CQ CQ
TEST.  I've had so many QSOs wiped out by contesters that the minute I hear
a contest in progress on HF I turn my rig off and pursue one of my other
hobbies.  I guess my point is that contesters are their own worst enemies --
and they somehow seem to think everybody should want to be a wonderful
contester like them!

Most contesters seem to have this incredibly stuck up attitude that every
ham should have been born a "know it all" like them (contest skills are,
after all, developed in the womb -- by osmosis).  As I read your excellent
tutorial (seriously) on all the intricacies of working FYBO, I tried to put
myself in the place of a newer ham reading the same information.  From that
perspective, I was left with but one important question.

What is FYBO??????

:-}

Sincerely hope you have a good time with the event -- don't plan on hearing
me.

73  Wes KOHBZ