UGLY_BOB wrote:Mind you... I'd avoid SD contests... not the most satisfying of contacts. "You're 5 and 9 - contest number 3421 - NEXT"
Its not just SD or the contests Bob.... It seems to be getting harder and harder to actually sustain a conversation with anyone these days - Everyone in too much of a hurry to rush off and see how many other contacts they can bag, without actually talking of any worth with the ones they have!
I first thought it was me - Maybe the DX-5000 was picking up the aroma from my armpits. Maybe I was boring the tits off them! But I see that its pretty universal, even when listening. Its a shame, as we have this fantastic tool to let us talk with folk from interesting countries, and maybe exchange interesting gossip. Instead, its a call sign, a first name and a signal report - If you are lucky, what rig and twig they are using and a weather report.
And yet, sometimes, after leaving in such a hurry to go find others, you'll hear them back on channel 12, shouting their heart out with no reply.
Its like walking down the street and saying "Hello" to everyone you meet - Sure, thats friendly, but not quite as engaging as speaking to one or two folk for an hour or two in the pub!
Fortunately, we still have UK40 for long chinwags, but it would be nice to have some decent conversations with some of our foreign friends!
