Thursday December 14th saw a delightful get-together of six Victoria based hams at Caffee Fantastico on Harbour Road. Beer, pizzas, pasta, coffee and sweets were avidly consumed. Conversation consisted of radio, radio and more radio. Ah yes, there were other topics but no Trump and no Trudeau.
The CQ WW DX Contest is a great contest for new amateurs. Why? With a very modest rig, with modest power and a modest antenna, amateurs can reel in lots of interesting countries. Check out some of mine (below). Get contesting.
There was a concern from the IslandHF members about using street addresses on the club map. And rightly so. Privacy is in real short supply. One member commented that if he needed a ham’s address he would use his QRZ account. Very true. I’ve even found email addresses in their database.
So why an IslandHF club map?
IslandHF is a unique radio club in a number of ways. For example, when getting together to share coffee there is an immense energy, something like a family gathering. There’s animated conversations, the occasional good-natured argument, a ton of laughter and a sharing of information, technical and personal. A lot of these coffee swilling members wear the club name tag. They are happy with their new club.
I used the word family. The club map shows where its family members reside on Vancouver Island (and the southern BC mainland). It’s a visual representation. You don’t get this on QRZ. It’s a large database of radio amateurs scattered around the planet.
The club name, IslandHF Radio Association, was chosen carefully. It’s not VictoriaHF or BCHF. Moreover, its focus is HF, in all its forms. And this allows the club members the opportunity to create opportunities by sharing a family energy and expertise.
If you have any suggestions regarding the IslandHF club map, please share them.