I harbor a deep suspicion that some of those people using the QRP calling frequencies might not have been running QRP. Clue number one was the 15 over S9 reading. Clue number two was the domestic pileups they started, suggesting that they were being heard more widely than I can usually manage with my mind-blowing 5 watts.

I think Field Day is an interesting study in human nature. It's funny that our collective attempt to demonstrate our emergency capabilities and sense of civil responsibility becomes, once we are on the air, a protracted exercise in incivility, poor listening, sloppy technique, and incomplete comprehension.

Really, there should be a new federal law prohibiting the use of those stupid vibroplex keys when the call is W5HSI, or at least the user should have to pass an additional FCC exam to prove that they aren't completely non-rhythmic beings.

Don't get me wrong. I've always enjoyed FD and will continue to do so. But there is something so chaotic about field day that it suggests that if we, as a nation, suffered a national-level emergency requiring wide-spread use of ham radio as an information infrastructure, we'd truly be in deep dung.

But then again, if our commercial communication systems were disabled due to hostile forces, perhaps that guy with the KW transmitter and the ten cent receiver will be the least of our problems.

By the way, am I the only ham who noticed that all of the FD gear shown on the cover of the April QST consists of totally obsolete stuff? Maybe that's why I didn't get more of those SSB contacts. "Hey Orville, let's get that Siltronix rig back out of the attic. It's Field Day again!"

And while you're at it dude, grab that slinky dipole that always worked so well.

And why doesn't the ARRL have a separate class (instead of a points bonus) for QRP? We're the ones having all the fun in this hobby, so we deserve our own, something like "1Q IL DE W9HC." I need to feel special.

As always, "bravo" to my fellow QRP'ers, thanks for indulging my attempt at humor, and if you're the guy on the cover of QST with the HW101, sorry - no offense intended. Much.

73
Steve
W9HC