Reminiscing Radio Retrospectively: LooKing back at LooKing-Back

Recently, I was looking back at looking back and ran into this post from 2016.

I'm amazed at how things have changed since 2016; then again, maybe not.

As you can see from the above PIC, in 2016 I made the drive to NX6T in Fallbrook many times that year, remembering of course to stop at Randy's Donuts in Westchester (where I used to live), near the LAX airport.

What I like about looking back is experiencing the re-connection to what was actually going on at that moment in time.  Thanks to digital-style cameras (and cellphones), we can take dozens of pictures during a short event frame, tossing most of them which do not truly capture the feeling/spirit of what was actually happening during those unique events.  Later, all manner of disparate PICs can be brought together in some sort of a collage, representing several events which altho different, carry some feeling-connection commonality.

In 2016, the SFI was headed downward.  "Today", the SFI is in a similar place, however it is currently rising, rather than on the decline.  Recently, taking a feeling-based journey, revisiting the depths of the last quarter century, I am astonished by the variety of different radiosport GiGs I've been involved in.  

 

The opening picture (above) illustrates what the world was like when I was "in the chair every other weekend" for NX6T.  We have since moved on from Fallbrook to a more expansive layout in Anza and all operations are currently done remotely.  The upside is I no longer make the 925-mile (round trip) to Oceanside; be it driving, or Amtrak.

While I have a mode preference (CW, RTTY, Ssb, Others) what matters most is the challenge and doing what it takes to meet (and sometimes surpass) those challenges.  There are a number of reasons behind people's desire to run radiosport; including (my FAVorite): the Resolution of Boredom (Bore-Dumb?).

However, most serious contest operators I know certainly do not lead boring lives.  I encounter many of these OP's again and again, weekend after weekend - even a Thursday/Friday GiG, like the recent Canada Day Contest ([CLICK HERE] to read about it).  Because we encounter each other so frequently, "callsign-recognition" occurs; I may not know anything about you personally,
however I may well "know" your operating style.  

 

(It was said that in the Civil War, a telegrapher's sending-style instantly identified
   the sender as being legitimate or someone ELSE behind the key).

Encountering recognizable callsigns routinely introduces a comfortable normalcy into My World
of radiosport operations at that moment.  When you consider that our world is currently undergoing
an immense amount of confusion, for me, radiosport brings some stability and order into that confused world.

I often pitch the case, that most radiosport events easily serve as energy-preparedness exercises.  Amateur Radio began over 120 years ago with "getting the message through" (I.e. Traffic Handling).  While I currently spend little time with the official National Traffic System (NTS), I frequently check into several 75-meter preparedness nets on different evenings throughout the week, if for no other reason than to create callsign recognition.  

 

Engaging in radiosport 3 out of 4 weekends a month (some long, some very SHORT, like the NAQP) perfects my operating skills every week, should that skill be needed one day.

LooKing back at LooKing-Back - the TRUTH is, the REAL reason I play radiosport, is because for ME, it is Just a LoT of FUN.

Why do YOU play radiosport?