How the hell do I know? Suffering from memory loss? Lost the Yellow Pages, too? Oh wait, yet another contest….
Fortunately there’s always someone available for a decent ragchew. Finding a frequency that’s not in use isn’t a problem, but that’s not enough. This weekend I found out the hard way that empty frequencies are claimed too. A certain (probably very rare) breed of contesters might be visiting the bathroom, or busy lubricating their throat in the kitchen. When they return after five minutes or so and find out that ‘their frequency’ is occupied, you’re in trouble.
OK, OK, I got the message! I’m outta here!
Hallo Hans, dat waren wel hele aso contesters dan. Tja, sommigen gaan ook te keer alsof hun leven er van af hangt…Gelukkig zijn er nog andere dingen in de wereld naast radio en contesten. 73, Bas
/blunt mode ON
Finally a relevant and meaningful aspect of our hobby and those who cannot even pass the stage of female talk start complaining again. Regular ragchew QSO’s usually serve nothing. Unless you and friends are doing some experiments, share experience etc.
There’s also lots of ‘room’ available on zillion chatboxes for that, or maybe you better just phone someone.
/OFF
Do what you just think is best. It’s a free country
For now I will stick to contesting. Unless meet you somewhere and we discuss technique or so.
73 Mark, PA5MW
Hehehe, love the ‘blunt’ mode!
Actually, if some experimentation was part of the ragchew, that would make it much more relevant and meaningful than contesting.
Come to think of it, even just including a genuine signal report in that ragchew would make it more relevant and meaningful than contesting.
What’s so meaningful about “FIVE-NINE, QRZ” ?
Even DXCC-hunters have more meaningful QSO’s, and do more weak signal work than contesters. The meaningful/relevant work is done *before* the contest, station building…
(and I’m a casual contester myself… yes it’s fun, but contest traffic itself is about as meaningful as tic-tac-toe…)
Ragchew or contest, you can’t leave a frequency and expect to claim it again minutes later. IMHO.