LESSONS LEARNED

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Hmmm, well I've gotten a lot out of this one. So here goes,
in no certain order.

1) Buy a voice keyer. I can't imagine how I could get by another
contest without it. There were times where I was SO TIRED of
calling CQ, that I just didn't. Wonder what I lost by doing that?!?

2) Have FM gear for all of the lower 4 bands. Believe me, in an area
like Rochester - you NEED fm. I easily missed 50 QSO's on 222/432 alone
by just not being there.

3) Make sure you have FM antennas that work in all directions. A single,
end-mount yagi ain't the ticket.

4) Ensure that your equipment, if keying an external PA, is set up to
automatically do it. I had an amp which required me to manually toss
a switch in order to key it. Never again. Lost 2 QSO's, coz' I couldn't
hear the station - to discover I forgot to toss the switch back to rx!

This is the list as of 1/27/1999. Once I finish going over the log, I will
add more stuff to it. Believe me, this one contest taught me so much.
Imagine what could have been with only a little more effort?!?