"KØHB" wrote in message link.net...
"Jack Twilley" wrote

If you were the average ham, Hans......

"Average" and "contesting" are incompatible concepts.

Agreed!

"Nothing average ever stood as a monument to progress.

Not entirely true.

Look at the "average" ham HF transceiver of, say, 40 years ago. Now
look at the "average" ham HF transceiver today. Not the
top-of-the-line, but rather what the middle of the pack can afford.
I'd say there's been some progress, particularly in what such sets
cost to buy new in terms of how many hours you have to work to buy
one.

Of course one of the big reasons the *average* rig is better is a
trickle-down effect of techniques used on the top-of-the-line stuff.
Which stuff exists in large part because of the market created by
contesters and DXers.

Or look at the features, capabilities and cost of the average PC
compared to 5 or 10 years ago. Heck, the average new PC today is more
powerful (by a whole bunch of measures) than the top-of-the-line
machine of a few years ago - and it costs far less.

So I'd say that the *average* can actually be a monument to progress.

When
progress is looking for a partner it doesn't turn to those who
believe that they are only average. It turns instead to those who
are forever searching and striving to become the best they
possibly can. If we seek the average level, we cannot hope to
achieve a higher level of success. Our only hope is to avoid
being a failure."

I agree 100% with that part.

73 de Jim, N2EY