This weekend I'm micro-blogging my WPX CW experience. If one is interested in following just observe KA3DRR's Twitter updates from the blog. All the best to each and every RadioSport operator across our Blue Planet. May this be an epic.
DX Summit? Can you say stratospheric. OH2AQ is quantum gnarly. And who is the mystery crew at OH8X? Because OH8X is like NexGen for geeks, nerds, and nerks. The Yasme Foundation too? I'm tripping over my copper wire. Many thanks OH2AQ, OH8X, and the Yasme Foundation for adding a 1,000 foot tower of ham radio fun. Let's propagate WPX and get epic this weekend.
The last major RadioSport contest of the season is on the weekend horizon. And I'm thinking about my operating goals before Friday evening's starting clock. Solar numbers suggest a low-band slug out for this low-power, wire driven operator. My best point opportunity is Asia, Oceania, South America, and North America across all bands.
One can rack up serious points on the low-bands like 40, 80, and 160 Meters. Each QSO between continents on the low-bands has a value of six. And propagation is not turbo charging the high-bands like 20, 15, and 10 Meters. The point value on the high-bands is three between continents. Additionally, a QSO between the same country has a value of 1-point, and it adds meaningfulness to the contesting equation. Every contestant at least has a point value of one. That's cool.
Given the point distribution 6-point low-bands, 3-point high-bands, and 1-point between the same operators in the same country, one may follow the point scheme during the contest. Call CQ as much as possible during WPX CW because a 'prefix' is counted only once as a multiplier. The game is points, points, and more points.
What does a low-power, low-profile RadioSport operator with a wire antenna system do? Who knows but someone, somewhere may need a KA3 prefix as a multiplier. That adds a little juice to the low-power signal into copper wire fed with ladder line. My strategy is a combination of calling CQ then search and pounce (SP) basically, I'm putting my signal out into the ionosphere this weekend. And what better practice at handling any rates that might develop across 36-hours of operation?
Goals.
I'm looking forward to CQ WPX CW 2008 this weekend and who knows? Activity might go down as an epic contest. One just needs to operate too find out. Hope to see you in the contest log.
By the way, it's good practice to read the rules.
73 from the condo contest station.
ATTENTION RadioSport Nation...Read comment here.
Thank you Alberto for your kind comment. I'm happy to be of service to our contest community. And I'm having a lot of ham radio fun in the process as well. And thank you for your eQSL cards. Very cool. Hope to see you in the CQ WPX CW contest log this weekend.
All the best from RadioSport Nation to Grupo Argentino de CW.
Contest on.
Read comment here.
I'm stoked and looking forward to the new, new thing from the UK group of NexGen ham radio operators. Going stratospheric waiting for the launch of DXAnywhere sometime in August.
All the best from the coast with the most and one low-power, low-profile ham radio contester. And Radio Dawg barked, "73."
Cheers.
The Next Generation of ham radio operators are busy defining the social cloud. They are producing active web applications such as DXanywhere, PickMyRig, Ham Radio Calendar, and Ham Radio Forum to mention a few. The idea is spearheaded by a group of UK amateur radio operators under the banner of PrettyGoodProjects. The NexGen group described DXanywhere as, "...Social media system which provides tools for keeping in touch with your mates and also advance cluster features." 73 from the shack-a-delic. I need a conceptual framework in order to understand what is happening around me. And the next frontier is the social cloud. Kevin Marks introduced "The Social Cloud" and his video is remarkable. For me, ham radio is no longer a stand alone system of devices and relationships, ham radio is part of an overall system that is, the social cloud.
One may observe the relationship between my blog and ham radio, look at the screenshot RadioSport Nation as a measurement and clouds are forming on different continents. I'm integrated and interconnected with each visitor through the Internet. We have developed a relationship through the router of this blog.
The same social cloud is beginning to form at Twitter as well. I have integrated Twitter with my blog thus expanding my social cloud. On the other hand, ham radio maybe considered the forerunner of the social cloud given the nature of our devices and relationships.
However ham radio as a stand alone system is no longer applicable.
I'm beginning to observe the elegance of the social cloud in relationship to ham radio. In fact, at this very moment Peter, M3PHP and I conversed through Twitter's application. Our transcript is available at Twitter, only if, one is following KA3DRR or M3PHP.
Additionally, Marks discussed the social cloud as it relates to Baby Boomers, the cloud is something outside of me. I remember a time when the Internet did not exist. In contrast, the NexGen relates to the Internet as if it is oxygen that is, they are growing up with it all around them. The Internet is fully integrated into their lifestyle.
Think about this for more than a moment, "The Internet is fully integrated into the NexGen's lifestyle. It is not a stand alone system of devices and relationships."
Ham radio's social cloud is beginning to form.
One if not the best RadioSport website yet. Forward thought. Innovative. Next level. However OH8X is under construction and this ham radio blogger is patiently waiting. Bookmarked favorite even under construction. Stellar OH8X!
