Hi.

Here I go getting inflamatory.  Contesting is trivial, in my view.  What's 
the point in my sitting there for hours doing what you could program a 
computer or a robot to do?  I'd like to put a little more of my personality 
into my communications than that.  Not that I would deny anyone their right 
to sit there and do that, but if I found myself sitting there for hours on 
end conducting myself like the sample in Ron's message, I would hope 
someone would come along and slap me upside the head and tell me to get a life!

73, de Lou K2LKK



At 03:24 PM 6/19/2006 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi List,
>
>Well, don't get me started on this 5/9 business.  How many contests have
>each of you listened to and some DX station or maybe a state side station is
>doing the following:
>
>W2XXX QRZ
>W2XXX from w4XXX 5/9
>W4XXX from W2XXX 5/9
>W4XXX QRZ
>W4XXX from W9XXX 5/9
>W9XXX from W4XXX 5/9
>W4XXX QRZ
>W4XXX from W8XXX 5/9
>W8XXX from W4XXX 5/9.
>
>You listen to this for about an hour solid and every signal report both ways
>is 5/9.  This contesting technique of saying as little as you can so as to
>'pile up the points' trivializes the whole idea of giving any kind of signal
>report--which should be something we concern ourselves with--since
>contesting is actually supposed to be a type of training for handling
>emergency traffic.
>
>I could go on about this for a while, but I'll close by saying that if one
>gives a signal report, it should be legitimate, not just a formality as in:
>
>Hi Joe; how are you?
>fine; and you?
>fine.
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Richard Webb" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Monday, June 19, 2006 5:52 PM
>Subject: signal report, a bit of a rant
>
>
>Hi folks,
>
>THe question of whether or not the speech synthesizer in the
>op's rig could read out signal reports such as five nine
>etc. got me thinking about this, and it's one of my pet
>peeves.
>
>THere is a reason that the rst system, that's r s and t as
>in romeo sierra tango for those of you who's speech synths
>don't do kind things to it) is shorthand for readability,
>strength and tone.
>SO to answer the op's question, nope your speech synth in
>your radio can't do that.  ONly you can judge readability,
>and tone for a cw signal.  nOW comes the rant part.
>
>I work a lot of guys on the paper chasing frequencies who
>never give anybody a readability lesss than five unless the
>signal is almost too weak tohear.  I"ll hear a station with
>rf feedback up the wazoo and some guy gives him a five nine.
>WHat's with that?  HE sounds like something the dog left in
>the yard and this dude gives him a 59 report.
>
>HOnest signal reporting is a proud part of the ham radio
>tradition.  WE should educate ourselves about what poor
>signals indicate about the state of the transmitter in
>question.  GIving honest reports that clue the operator on
>the other end in about problems is part of what being a good
>operator is about.
>
>73 de nf5b
>
>
>
>
>Richard Webb,
>Electric Spider Productions,
>Eads Tn.
>
>
>Braille:  support true literacy for the blind.

Louis Kim Kline
A.R.S. K2LKK
Home e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
Work e-mail:  [log in to unmask]
Work Telephone:  (585) 697-5753