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September/October 2000 NCJ

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EditorialDennis Motschenbacher, K7BVThe <strong>September</strong>/<strong>October</strong> issue of the<strong>NCJ</strong> is always special in that its arrivalsignals the adrenaline to begin its magicas the new winter contest season rapidlyapproaches. This is the time of yearthat contesters complete the final phasesof their antenna projects and shack upgrades.We also experience some added tensionnow. This is also the time to spendsome extra hours with the family to buildup the “points”—that we most certainlywill run short of—needed to pay for theupcoming back-to-back procession ofcontest weekends. Our passion for contestingcan be a test of the strength ofour relationships with our families, coworkersand friends.We cannot help it, though—nor wouldwe want to change a thing. The nextseveral months will serve to consumesome of that fire in our gut that hasdriven us on each year since we firstdiscovered the unique thrill that contestingstirs inside us. Life offers many similarthrills, but only a contester can understandwhat another contester isfeeling in those final hours before thestarting bell rings at 0000Z.January NAQP SSB ResultsWe trust that most of you have seenthe reflector announcements directingyou to the <strong>NCJ</strong> Web site for the finalresults of the winter NAQP SSB Contest.Bruce, WA7BNM, has asked thatwe extend his apologizes for the delay ingetting them into your eager hands.WRTC<strong>2000</strong>Maybe the “thrill” mentioned above isone of the contributing factors that makea gathering of contesters such an excitingoccurrence. If that is true, thenWRTC<strong>2000</strong> had to be the most incredible“thrill” a contester could ever dreamof experiencing.The entire WRTC<strong>2000</strong> experience—that started for me with Ralph, K9ZO’s,telephone call asking me to be his teammatein Slovenia—was totally overwhelming.So many fantastic people met, so manyold friendships renewed, so many newfriendships initiated, so much contestingexcellence gathered in such closequarters, so many smiles and laughs, somuch unconditional and unselfish kindnessand respect, so many handshakesand hugs—the list goes on and on.I found that being there was truly ahumbling experience. It would have beenvery easy for me, with my meager list ofaccomplishments, to find myself quiteuneasy amongst all those well-knownand hugely successful characters thatpreviously only existed in my mind asfaceless call signs. After returning home,I was compelled to write a note, thankingthose hundreds of my “Contest Heroes”for graciously and generously acceptingme and my shy wife, Lieska, into theirsphere of friends each day and night inSlovenia.Frankly, I expected to see at leastsome of that boring ego-driven oneupsmanshipthat you sometimes encounterwhen attending contest club meetingsand gatherings. Had I thought thematter through more thoroughly though,I would not have had such concerns.This was a gathering of The-Best-of-The-Best. Most had nothing more toprove—all that had already been accomplishedwith their activities on thebands long before their arrival inSlovenia. For the most part these wereconfident people, just glad to have agood reason and the good fortune to beat that place on the face of the Earth atthat important moment.The actual contest was exciting forme—but no more so than the nightlydinners and story telling sessions. Rarelyan hour passed that I didn’t bump intoyet another contester I knew so well buthad never met in person before.I was also grateful to see all the peoplewho were there not as competitors butmerely to add passion to the moment—they made the WRTC<strong>2000</strong> an even morerewarding experience for those of uslucky enough to actually take part in thecompetitive events.I saw so much sharing amongst thecompetitors. Sharing of equipment tohelp others with gear damaged by the“airline gorillas.” Sharing of medicine forthe unsettled stomachs. Sharing of strategyand operating opinions.Yes, they all wanted to win. They wanteda shot at one of the medals, but they werewilling to do everything possible to ensurethat it wasn’t a win cheapened by selfishness.The Slovenian’s organization ofWRTC<strong>2000</strong> set this tone of cooperationand friendly competition and it prevailedthroughout the entire week.I was one of those who arrived with asmashed radio. That rig and shippingcase had been on a few rough andtumble DXpeditions to places like StPauls Island and Market Reef withoutincident—but no such luck this timearound. The shock of the realization thatI was going into battle without my trusty’MP was very unsettling—and my reactionwas quite visible to my wife andfriends.But our Slovenian friends were quickto respond and find a replacement radiofor Ralph and me. Things like this wereoccurring all over Bled on the day beforethe start of the contest. While placing alot of pressure on the S5s, they wereeasily up to the task of getting everyonestarted in the contests with all thingsbeing relatively equal. To their credit, Ihaven’t heard any post-contest whiningabout unequal stations—yet—and hopefullyI won’t.From my heart, I wish to extend mydeepest gratitude to the Slovenia ContestClub and the WRTC<strong>2000</strong> Committeefor their efforts to make this historicevent happen. I love “movers and shakers”—andthese individuals are everyounce that!To my new Slovenia family, Pappa’Pol, S57U, and his Number One SonSamo, S57KAA—my heart pounds withemotion now as I try to thank you foropening your personal world to Ralphand me. All of us now have a greatlyextended family to share more ties within the years to come. Family is forever.Lieska, my wife, will never forget thewarmth of the women who, like her,traveled to Slovenia and tried to comprehendthe magnitude of the adventuretheir mates were living. (A note to Nora—XYL of A61AJ. Lieska says she will be inDubai visiting you sooner than you think!)A special thank you to our newest Hallof Famer, Walter, DJ6QT, who openedhis home to us, took all my feisty abuseand ribbing—and tossed plenty back inreturn. But even more importantly, hewas kind enough to offer me some personalconsul that I shall never forget.Each WRTC event seems to breathea life and character of its own—I canhardly wait until the next gathering comesalong with its own flavor and memories.73, Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV—S566ZCover PhotoThe age-old question, “Which is thebetter antenna—the Yagi or the quad?”is one that has been batted around fordecades.Henryk Kotowski, SM0JHF/K6JHF/SO5JHF, has concocted a scheme thatcould conceivably help move us closer toan answer. Be sure to check out “ThePolish Yagis vs Quads Big Gun Shootout.”Perhaps you will choose to be a participantin his noble experiment. ■3

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