SHOTA
I wasn't on the air for many years - about 1985 to 1999. When I took down my antennas because of a threatening hurricane I had WAC, WAS, WAZ and DXCC. Well, 14 years later things had really changed. I quickly discovered I was the only one left who hadn't worked ALL countries, continents, zones, states, and counties. So what do we do to keep selling rice boxes and subscriptions to QST? We now have grids. Albeit helpful for us in the middle of no where who try to work 6 meters. And we have IOTA, Islands On The Air. Daring amateur operators risk life and limb to land on rocks in the middle of the ocean to put that rare Island On The Air. AND ( it keeps getting better) we also have Lighthouses On The Air. HUH??? Gimme a break!!!
So in order to do my part for the preservation of this hobby we dearly love (and the rice box manufacturers and the ARRL) I propose:
SHOTA - ShitHouses On The Air
Since this is MY idea I submit that the old outhouse up at my families ranch should be
SH-001.
I will be happy to activate SH-001 when there is sufficient demand for SHOTA.
I can string a long wire to a nearby oak tree and move my Johnson Desk Kilowatt in
for the operation. It will be a very tight fit but I'm sure I can make it
work. I too will be risking life and limb for my fellow amateur radio
operators. Well hell, what if the mercury vapor rectifiers or the output spark gap
arc over while I'm in there? The methane gas explosion would blow me, the outhouse,
the Desk Kilowatt and who know what else to that great DXpedition in the sky.
But, if there is sufficient demand for SHOTA I will do what must be done for the preservation of Amateur Radio (as we know it in the 21st Century).
Created: January 22, 2005. Last
Updated:
June 15, 2013
© Copyright 2005, PakRatz, Corpus Christi, Texas, USA