Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2001 08:16:59 -0400
From: "Holger 'Geri' Kinzel, DK8KW" <DK8KW@compuserve.com>
Subject: LF: Farewell, LFers -- that's why I like it!
To: rsgb_lf_group@blacksheep.org
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Hello LF-Group,

first of all: I am really sorry to see Steve, GW4ALG, going off board.
Steve, I really enjoyed the efforts and struggle we had, and your patience,
when we had our first QSO about 2 years ago, which took us, as far as I can
remember, well over an hour, just to get our reports passed through. This
was for a long time my ODX. We both have improved our stations as well as
probably also our communication skills in regards to copy weak signals, so
that in the meantime a reliable CW QSO between us is not a real problem
anymore.

In the past mails in regards to this subject I have seen the entire
bandwidth of opinions, that show the inhomogenity so well, and that make
the "work" within this group so enjoyable.

We have "purists" for whom a "valid" QSO is exactly defined, even if it
consists only of the exchange of a report. Other people do only accept QSOs
when they are made by people using their own CW skills and do not rely on
computer help. Or the people who say, that real radios "glow in the dark",
as back in the 20ties or 30ties of last century.

We have the technical experts, whom we can ask for explanations for almost
each and every detail of our LF hobby (by the way: I have not got a good
explanation for my question in regards to my bridge problem ...).

We have a group of people who simply enjoy chatting in Morse-code, they
meet each weekend and have endless discussions about subjects, that would
by far easier be handled by e-mail or the telephone. But they enjoy that
kind of chat.

We have the ambitious kind of people, who need new records and challenges
to be laying ahead of them to get their fulfillment. Europe-America:
solved. What's next? America-Pacific? Around the world?

We have the propagation enthusiasts, even those without any transmitting
equipment, who find their fulfillment simply in observing the Earth's
ionosphere reaction to events that happen 150 Million km away. 

Others have never transmitted or received a single signal on LF, but
contributed to our enjoyment a lot by sitting in their shacks in front of
their computer screens writing software that help us to detect signals,
that other experts don't believe they can ever be detected.

The experimenters want to develop new schematics, build them, find out:
yes, it works, before they start a new project. And other experimenter's
ask the question: can a liner repeater be build that transfers the LF band
to another frequency?

Then there is the vast majority of all of us who simply enjoy our hobby by
a combination of all those (and numerous unmentioned) experimenter's traits
and activities. One evening we sit there and build a new device, eager to
test it during the next weekend. Then we hear something about someone
receiving U.K. on the continent on 73 kHz, and we jump on that train, to
enjoy a few crossband QSOs the next day. Besides, we have a few QSOs with
those, who like to chat, and give a few advises to those, who start. 

But we all have in common, that we make use of a modern, non-amateur media
to exchange our ideas, discuss our different opinions, and help each other.
This is what I have enjoyed in LF operation since my first telephone chat
with late Peter, DJ8WL, almost 4 or 5 years ago, in which he mentioned
something about a possible operation on frequencies around 130 or 140 kHz,
at that time a complete unknown area of the radio spectrum to me.

I have tried many facets in ham radio since I was first licensed in 1973
(HF, QRP, DX-peditions, satellite QSOs, ATV, RTTY, etc.) but I have never
before in ham radio found such a group as the worldwide LF community ready
to help with all their expertise and friendliness.

That's what I enjoy!

Best 73


Geri, DK8KW (W1KW)