Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Car Parks On The Air

As the instigator of the Wainwrights On The Air scheme I hope this does not come across as a case of the pot calling the kettle black, but I think the mania for "Things On The Air" is getting a bit out of hand.

Courtesy of Dan KB6NU's Blog I have just learned about Railroad Depots on the Air, a group whose aim is to set up radio stations at railroad depots and so that people can collect points by making contacts with them. Where will it all end? I suppose the road transport enthusiasts will set up a competing activity Bus Stations On The Air, if they haven't already.

I wonder if the people who dreamed up Islands On The Air knew what they were starting? Islands tend to be a long way away and expensive to get to, so Richard G3CWI came up with Summits On The Air (SOTA) which offered activators a large number of entities to activate without having to leave the country. Wainwrights On The Air is really just a local, junior SOTA. But both of those schemes have the disadvantage for the average ham unfit from too many hours slouched in front of the radio that you need to hike to the top of the mountain with your gear before you can activate it. So some awards for working easier to reach entities might be welcome.

Pubs On The Air would be extremely popular, especially with me. Certainly the lounge bar of the Bitter End in Cockermouth would make a more pleasant operating location than the top of Helvellyn in a hailstorm. But activators would be wise to get all the CW contacts over and done with at the start of the activation, with PSK31 reserved for just before closing time.

You could also have some programmes of a more topical nature. In Recession Victims On The Air you could earn points from contacting stations operating from closed-down Woolworths and MFI stores.

Car Parks On The Air would be the one for real couch-potato activators. All you would need to do is drive there, park up, turn on the mobile rig and start making contacts. You could even ask people wanting a paper QSL to make a donation to cover the cost of your Pay and Display ticket.

I'm sure you can think of plenty of others...

10 comments:

QRP Station M6RDP said...

Great blog entry! Made me laugh, which I needed after a trip to the dentist. Thanks, Adam

MØYKS Simon said...

Really tickled me with this! very funny indeed. I would suggest Public Toilets on the Air, but unfortunately due to cuts they have all been sold off and converted into Curry take away shacks around here. ;-)

Have a Merry Christmas and Fantastic New Year. Look forward to plenty more fun as well as informative posts from you.

Simon - 2E0HTS and Company

WY7USA said...

Has anyone started a "Caves on the Air" group yet?

goody said...

How about Lids on the Air? Oh wait, we have that operating event going on daily.

Steve GW7AAV said...

What about Worked All Repeaters?
...with a special award for working them all at once.

It has been a long held on air discussion that we should have a Pubs on the Air award and I would not be surprised if it did not happen one day.

Locally we had a imaginary Worked All Buckley Award and a few miles away on the Wirral it became Worked All Birkenhead. I liked the idea of a Worked All Boneheads. Starting with a certain Italian on 20m.

AndyC said...

The local club makes frequent references to the "Worked all neighbours" award.

I'd support pubs on the air :-)

Unknown said...

Ah, the "Worked all neighbours" award. Isn't that the one where the confirmation QSL is a brick through the window?

Jspiker said...

Among many other good qualities, you have a GREAT sense of humor.
Very funny....

ps...enjoyed the other comments too.

Richard G3CWI said...

Correction: SOTA as the idea of John Linford, G3WGV.

I think that M0LMP's Adventure Radio scheme was intended to include anything and everything so Sewage Works on the air or whatever could be included in that assuming that he ever launches it!

73

Richard
G3CWI

Unknown said...

Sorry Richard (or John). I thought the recent RadCom item on SOTA credited you as starting it, but perhaps it's my mistake.