THE NOV 2014 ARRL SWEEPSTAKES CONTEST, JUST A COMMENT

Due to family commitments I was not able to spend a lot of time on the radio participating in this contest on the weekend.  However, the time I did spend on the bands was worth more to me than winning the contest.  I won’t mention call signs, because I am sure these were not the only occasions. What these events did do is remind me what ham radio is all about.

On two different bands in the heat of the contest a “well oiled , rapid fire station” answered the call of someone who was new to this contest or maybe even contesting.  In each case the operator at the “well oiled” station slowed everything down, took the time to explain the system, and answer any questions the new comer had. The operators were courteous, patient and polite.Once the issue had been dealt with, the contact logged, and questions answered with it was back to full steam.

It was truly nice to hear that for once that ” it wasn’t all about me” and points came second to common courtesy.   To the operators  that did this  great work. To the rest of us, a gentle reminder of what ham radio is all about.

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