Dedication? Or...

Email posted to the CQ Contest reflector earlier this morning (EDT). Call sign of sender deliberately not included, and location of operation redacted, both for obvious reasons; emphasis added.

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New Mexico is hosting the W1AW/5 call sign for the IARU contest this coming Saturday/Sunday.

I will be operating the only 160 M station with the W1AW call sign in this contest. I will be utilizing the [ redacted ] station.

I will operate both modes, splitting up each hour into segments as the demand requires. I will operate from 1200Z (sunrise at 1230Z) until 1400Z local Saturday morning.

I will be at my daughter's wedding at 0100Z Saturday evening local, but will be back at the station and on the air approximately 0500Z.

I will operate the balance of the night.

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Now, there's one school of thought that would congratulate a hard-core contester on dedication.

But the thought that keeps running through my mind... really? You're going to leave your daughter's wedding reception early... to contest? Your daughter? Really?

Now, I have contested after returning home from wedding receptions. One time was during Pa QSO, we'd been at double-header; KQ3DX (now NB3C)'s wedding at noon, followed by a cousin [N3SRC(sk)'s son] in the afternoon. Another was stopping by a FD site after leaving another cousin's reception, since the FD site was only 2 or 3 miles from the hotel we stayed at. But those occasions, and a handful of others, weren't my immediate family, like a son or daughter.

Am I missing something here? Because my immediate reaction is that this is going too far.

(I'm deliberately NOT going to ask this Over Yonder, as I'm sure the anti-contest crowd, led by everyone's favorite gym teacher, would jump all over it)

If my son/daughter was marrying the last thing on my mind would be the hobby let alone contesting or special station/event.
But that is just my 2 € cents...

I guess this is why I'll never be a serious contester....

Maybe he just doesn't like his daughter/son-in-law-to-be all that much? Case in point: if my stepdaughter were to schedule her wedding on the same day as Field Day, I'd spend the day on the radio, not at the wedding.

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Originally Posted by K6BSO

Maybe he just doesn't like his daughter/son-in-law-to-be all that much? Case in point: if my stepdaughter were to schedule her wedding on the same day as Field Day, I'd spend the day on the radio, not at the wedding.

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I'd be lying if I didn't admit that a similar thought hadn't crossed my mind... but even so, is a rift like that something that you'd want to imply, let alone outright admit?

Of course, for all we know, there are extenuating circumstances (reception will be low key and has to end by a certain time anyway). Just seems a bit "off", on the surface.

And, Jim? I hear you on that. That's one of the reasons why I am not likely to ever get invited to join the regional "contest club" that operates a certain well-known (be it famous or infamous I'll leave to your discretion) M/M station not far away from me.

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Originally Posted by W3WN

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that a similar thought hadn't crossed my mind... but even so, is a rift like that something that you'd want to imply, let alone outright admit?

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Well, I just outright admitted my dislike for my step daughter, who essentially abandoned her two children and forced the XYL and I to step up to take care of them—which we're still doing, BTW. Of course, I've made no secret of that fact here in the past, so perhaps it's not the same thing.

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Originally Posted by W3WN

And, Jim? I hear you on that. That's one of the reasons why I am not likely to ever get invited to join the regional "contest club" that operates a certain well-known (be it famous or infamous I'll leave to your discretion) M/M station not far away from me.

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I don't think I'll ever have to worry about being invited to join a contest club. Piss poor contest scores, slow rate, not a lot of experience running a frequency, and no sense of "dedication". I also find most of that crowd to be too intense for my liking.

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Originally Posted by W3WN

I'd be lying if I didn't admit that a similar thought hadn't crossed my mind... but even so, is a rift like that something that you'd want to imply, let alone outright admit?

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I've not found ham operators to always be the most socially-savvy people I've met.

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Originally Posted by KJ3N

I don't think I'll ever have to worry about being invited to join a contest club. Piss poor contest scores, slow rate, not a lot of experience running a frequency, and no sense of "dedication". I also find most of that crowd to be too intense for my liking.

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I'm technically a member of one, but I can't give a crap about winning anything under my own call.

I have too many other hobbies to dedicate that much time/money. Oddly - or perhaps not - I find that the most boring people in ham radio are those that know nothing else but ham radio. Get outside once, bro.

The contesters I know personally are just glad you are participating. They are a hoot to hang out with in Dayton.

The only real contest I take seriously is the CW sweepstakes in November. My whole ham radio year revolves around it (and Dayton). The family knows that I am unavailable (unless there is an emergency of course) that weekend.

Jason N8XE

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Originally Posted by W3WN

Am I missing something here? Because my immediate reaction is that this is going too far.

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Ummmm.....

With all due respect (Uh Oh, now you know you're in trouble!)....

So what? Why would it matter to you or anyone else how someone prioritizes their life, especially if they are not related to you or in any way have no impact on your life?

Because, the internets.

Did not get on the air.

Celebrated a buddy from HS's 30th, drank a few Islays, smoked a little, tore ass on ATVs through pastures, test drove pickup trucks - in the correct order, of course.

Je ne regrette rien.

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Originally Posted by n0iu

Ummmm.....

With all due respect (Uh Oh, now you know you're in trouble!)....

So what? Why would it matter to you or anyone else how someone prioritizes their life, especially if they are not related to you or in any way have no impact on your life?

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It just struck me as odd, that's all. For someone to skip out on their daughter's wedding to go operate a radio? That's not what I'd consider, well, expected.

I'm sure it happens quite a bit (either that or similar), it's just not usually posted to an international email forum, for the world to see.

The situation, with no extenuating circumstances known, just struck me as quite odd. But, there are many people who have priorities that... are not in phase with how I line up my priorities. (*)

Now, I did hear back from the person who posted this. The rest of the story is (was)... this is his daughter's 2nd wedding, he was only there as a guest (no "giving the bride away" or anything), the reception was going to be low key, and (for a variety of reasons that I'm not going to post, as this is his business only) once he slipped away, he wouldn't be missed. OK. Reading between the lines, there's clearly a lot more going on -- but, yes, it is none of my business. I won't speculate further.

(*) Reminds me of an old joke, one form of which was...
The local NFL team was playing at home before a sell-out crowd. Someone noticed a man sitting by himself, with an empty seat next to him. So, they asked the man why the seat was empty.

The man explained that he and his beloved wife of several decades had had those seats for years, and now that she was gone, he was there by himself.

"But, couldn't you have a son or daughter come with you in her place?"
"Couldn't. They're all at the funeral right now."