W4B First in Flight Centennial Special Event Sta

[w4grw]

Historic Centennial Celebration of the Wright Brothers First Flight, Special Event Station, W4B.
The NC Special Event Group NC Special Event Group (http://www.ncseg.org) is proud to announce that we are now operating as W4B as part of the First Flight Centennial Celebration. Please join us on the air, from Kitty Hawk, on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, as we celebrate the Wright Brothers, "twelve seconds that changed the world".


W4B Special Event Frequencies

3.860 #7.260 #14.260 #21.330 #28.460 #SSB #+ or - .010

3.550 #7.050 #14.050 #21.050 #28.050 #CW #+ or - .010

One station will be on 14.260 continuously as propagation permits from Dec 12, 2003 through December 17, 2003 #- The second station will alternate between SSB and CW depending on operator availability and may be found on any of the above frequencies as propagation permits.


W4B Operating Times

Beginning December 12, 2003 at 1700 UTC - Ending December 17, 2003 at 2000 UTC

For QSL information, please see the W4B websiteW4B First in Flight QSL information (http://www.w4b.us/w4bqslinfo.htm)
Thanks to Kenwood, Heil Sound, & MFJ Enterprises for their assistance.

For additional information
Official First in Flight Centennial Website (http://www.firstflightcentennial.org/december_celebration.html)

thanks, W4GRW

[K2TFT]

DONT FORGET TO MENTION WHAT YOUR WEBSITE SAYS.."DONT JUST SEND A QSL" ENCLOSE 5 DOLLARS AND NO SASE. WHAT A RIP OFF CONSIDERING THE WHOLE EVENT WAS SPONSORED BY HAM GEAR BOYS. TO SPOIL SOMETHING THIS GREAT I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON ALL THE 5 BUCKS YOU DONT GET!! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif

[K4SCH]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE"> #from k2tft "I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON ALL THE 5 BUCKS YOU DONT GET!!"[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

Just another fine example of some of the great attitudes found in ham radio today. Seriously folks I think we as a group can be a little bit more intelligent than this.

[kc0jez]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (K2TFT @ Dec. 14 2003,15:51)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">DONT FORGET TO MENTION WHAT YOUR WEBSITE SAYS.."DONT JUST SEND A QSL" ENCLOSE 5 DOLLARS AND NO SASE. #WHAT A RIP OFF CONSIDERING THE WHOLE EVENT WAS SPONSORED BY HAM GEAR BOYS. #TO SPOIL SOMETHING THIS GREAT I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON ALL THE 5 BUCKS YOU DONT GET!! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Boy, you must hate lots of special event stations and awards. #Did you see that you don't get a QSL card for 5 bucks? You get a certificate, probably mailed flat, along with other items including discount coupons from various manufacturers. #I'll bet the value received far surpasses the measly 5 bucks. Look thru your next ham magazine and see how many other special events, awards, etc.. ask for a few bucks to defray the cost. Just mailing a certificate costs a buck..if not more by the time you buy a 9 x 12 envelope, etc. Im guessing that the sponsorship by the radio folks refers to the coupons they provided, which helps the club cover their costs by inticing people to send the $5 for the certificate and other goodies. #Loosen up a bit and if the five bucks'll kill ya, don't participate. #Heck, I might even send 'em five bucks to help 'em out even though I can't work 'em. Yeesh.

[n2rxk]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (K2TFT @ Dec. 14 2003,18:51)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">TO SPOIL SOMETHING THIS GREAT I HOPE YOU CHOKE ON ALL THE 5 BUCKS YOU DONT GET!![/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif #It is to bad that we can't give feedback for postings like they do on eBay...maybe that would cause people to be a bit more diplomatic!! I may or may not agree with his comment, but I certainly don't agree with the WAY http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mad.gif he said it. #Happy Holidays to all. Bob N2RXK

[ve7ibj]

Five greenbacks is a bit steep, especially if you're not in the U.S. #Looking at about $8cdn, plus $.80 postage, exchange fees, tax, etc... Not only that, coupons are only good if you actually plan on purchasing something. Even then, they're available at any ham outlet.
Me? I'm going out to the Canadian Museum of Flight in Langley, B.C. on wednesday and put my $$$ into the donation box. #

73
Roy

I sent my $5.00 to them with my qsl card and i was very proud to do it. an event like this involves a lot of effort on their part. the least we can do as fellow amateurs is To SUPPORT IT as best as we all can. so 73 to all and have a very happy holiday and a very good new year. # # #TOM N2NZJ http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[K2TFT]

All I wanted was a QSL card. Don't need the k-mart ads or the ham radio stuff i can't afford anyway....criminy

[K2TFT]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (N2NZJ @ Dec. 15 2003,22:04)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I sent my $5.00 to them with my qsl card and i was very proud to do it. an event like this involves a lot of effort on their part. the least we can do as fellow amateurs is To SUPPORT IT as best as we all can. so 73 to all and have a very happy holiday and a very good new year. # # #TOM N2NZJ http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
maybe thats the only way you can collect cards with your rubber duck antenna...har har...throught some irlp or echo link. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

To all the people operating W4B thanks for putting on an IMPRESSIVE EVENT. I and many others enjoyed working you guys. hope the event was as successfull as you all hoped it would be???. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #73 to all TOM N2NZJ 12/17/03

[w6dx]

Actually, postage for an 8-1/2 by 11 inch certificate mailed flat is only 49 cents at the post office. Since the website says that "most of the cost" is in the postage, that means that they have less than a buck in the whole thing, including paper, envolope, and postage.

Five dollars does seem a bit high. This isn't a "servce to hams," it's a business! Too bad; one of the pivotal moments in American history is being used by a few hams to profit from others.

Barrie, W6DX

[K2TFT]

tnx w6dx thats what i was trying to say....i am just not good with words i guess. happy holidays to all rich.

It has been said time and time again that a QSL is "the final courtesy" of a QSO. #In my world, a "courtesy" is something freely given, not something to which a steep price is attached.

$5? #Wow. #I understand that the monies are required because "[t]he cost of operating an event of this size is very large," and # "[m]ost [of the $5 charge] of this is mailing cost." #Well, I don't know what that means; it's a bit vague.

I am reminded of a group of guys who went down to PJ2 a few weeks back. #If you operate HF, you almost surely heard them. #They were a bunch of retirees from Illinois who presumably went down to site-see, enjoy the sun, drink a few cold ones, and make bunches of QSOs. #I worked them; it sounded like they had a big time. #I have no doubt they had significant hard costs like travel, food, and the rent on the PJ2T station. #Yet, all they want is an SASE.

Why the difference?

By the way. is the NCSEG a §501&copy;(3)?

I am sure that nothing NCSEG is doing is improper. #It just seems a bit outside the spirit of the hobby, that's all.

I think I'll take my $5 and drop it in a Salvation Army pot today. #I'll feel better about spending my money that way.

Peter Baskind, JD, LLM
N4LI

[K4VU]

nice job, guys -- glad to see that you were on the air to mark this moment.

73/robin/k4vu

I AGREE THEY DID A FANTASTIC JOB. I am glad i sent my qsl card and the five U S D'S to them as this was a once in a life time event. I would do it again. 73 to all and a very happy holiday. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #TOM N2NZJ

[n3jlw]

Thanks NCSEG for putting on the W4B Specual Event. I appreciate all of the hard work involved in not only setting up and operating the station(s) but for all of the behind-the-scenes efforts too.


I worked Keith on 20 meters on the last day of the event and I was glad to have made the contact. I have sent in my QSO info and the $5 fee to cover the certificate expenses too. I was glad to have the opportunity to participate and get into the queue to receive what will surely be a rare certificate.


To all those detractors that seem to have nothing better to do than whine about paying the fee and diminish what these folks have tried to do, leave your rigs turned off, ignore the fee structure and just don't participate. A fewer number of quality and supportive posts here would certainly do more to further the hobby than receiving a myriad of belly-acheing ones.


73,
Jack
N1JLW

THANKS JACK I AGREE WITH YOU 110%. your post could not have have said it any BETTER.those guys at the special event station did an EXCELLENT JOB. like i said in my earlier post i was proud to have sent them my $5.00 for a rare and coveted CERTIFICATE. have a great holiday Jack. 73 THOMAS S. WRIGHT N2NZJ

[ve7ibj]

I have some very nice and one of a kind qsl certificates here that certainly didn't cost me $5usd and they all mean just as much. Like a previous post said, it doesn't cost that much to make and mail a certificate! SASE should be enough for a special event qsl. No doubt they made money on this event. Very unfortunate.

Roy

I IN ANY CASE BELIEVE THIS EVENT WAS WELL WORTH IT. as i said earlier I would do it again for a very important event like this one. not very many historic events are done as well as this one was. so again happy holidays and good tidings to all. 73 THOMAS S WRIGHT #N2NZJ #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[kr4wm]

I was too busy to participate in this wonderful special
event, but I wish I had been able to make contact with them.

I think that the $5 charge they are asking for is covered under the amateur rules under "pecuniary interest". It is my belief that if it costs them one cent under $5 to produce and send out the certificates, then the HONEST thing to do would be to send a refund along with all the certificates for the difference. It's flat out illegal to fund a club function by charging for QSLs or special event certificates. It would be a different matter entirely if it cost them a small fortune to travel to Kitty Hawk and they were seeking to offset expenses incurred, but I don't believe this is the issue at hand.

On the other side of the coin.... I may have to go to the local swimming pool that was visited by Paris Hilton and run my own $5 per contact "special event station" #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif #.

KR4WM

TO ALL CONCERNED HAMS I HAVE IT FROM A DIRECT SOURCE THAT THIS WAS A VERY EXPENSIVE EVENT ON W4B'S PART. they did in fact traveled aprox. 450 miles to the EVENT. it cost well over $5000.00 aprox. amount spent. as well as the time and EFFORT on their part. as well as a lot of extra technical EFFORT and etc. involved.I am most proud to have worked them and gave them my small donation of $5.00 for a certificate that to me is priceless. as you all know this particular event will never HAPPEN AGAIN. MY BEST KUDOS TO THE W4B EVENT TEAM. 73 #THOMAS S. WRIGHT N2NZJ

[K4YBB]

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif I would have been very happy to send $5 to W4B for a QSL but since I did not work the Special event station I don't Qualify for the very nice QSL #they went to quite an expense getting printed and then there were the correct size envelopes to mail the QSL"s in and then the necessary stuffing to protect the QSL and I could probably figure several more expenses #that were part of making this Special Event a success. So quit your grumblin and send the $5 for the QSL and you will have a nice piece of wall paper or be super cheap and don't send the $5 and do without a very nice QSL. It's your choice and it is only $5 not like $50 or like the $2000 a plate lunch the mental giant poloticians paid recently. Now that is a total waste of time and money.

[kc0jez]

</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (kr4wm @ Dec. 19 2003,19:33)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I think that the $5 charge they are asking for is covered under the amateur rules under "pecuniary interest". It is my belief that if it costs them one cent under $5 to produce and send out the certificates, then the HONEST thing to do would be to send a refund along with all the certificates for the difference. It's flat out illegal to fund a club function by charging for QSLs or special event certificates.[/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
Hmm. This brings to mind an interesting thought. I know of many clubs that operate a hamfest. For most this is a fundraiser for the club. They try to cover costs and come out with a few bucks for the treasury too. if they're runing a "talk in" on their repeater so out of town hams can get directions to the site..aren't they then using ham radio to generate income?

[N8BIB]

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif as a person running a special event station from the yankee air museum on memorial day for the past nine years under call W8YAF i have no problem senting the $5.00 fee for the very nice certificate and package.for you the big dxers will sent money for a new country from dxpedition this is one time for history every year i try to help with history on memorial day to remember the hero"s of the past.

FRANK N8BIB/W8YAF

THANKS FRANK, WELL SAID.PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW LUCKY THEY ARE TO HAVE A CLUB OR AN ORGANIZATION TO put together an event of that magnitude.the first thing is PERSONAL SACRIFICE,DEDICATION, AND SERVICE,TIME AND PERSONAL FINANCIAL SACRIFICE,AND of course a lot more. a small donation of $5.00 was well worth it for their package or any other good cause EVENT STATION. So 73 http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #N2NZJ THOMAS S. WRIGHT

[N7YA]

ok, soooooo.....im generally broke, but im still able to operate, own a rig, a computer...and im about to go get a subway sandwich, somehow, $5 will get lost in all this, i wont even miss it.
Maybe $5 is a bit steep, i also liked the idea of one poster who mentioned a refund for whatever they dont use...but the logistics of doing that for EVERY single ham who sent money are a bit tough. I figure if someone sends $5 and gets a certificate/qsl/etc, they will receive these things and be happy, and again, the $5 will be lost on it 10 minutes after they put it in the mail.
Also, if it cost them about $5000 to do this thing, they would need to work, and confirm, at least 1000 stations to break even...with every single one sending five bucks and a request.
But Im also wondering why it cost that much to do a stateside operation. Every contest i work, and usually confirm, a huge operation from some remote corner of the world for a card, an envelope and a couple of IRC at the most...many times they have to charter boats, secure gear sponsorships leave the families for weeks or months, as well as countless other expenses...all for the hobby. we didnt ask them to go, they wanted to, so they prepared and gathered most of the money together and went, they did it for their own pleasure as well as ours. on occasion, they ask for a donation to offset the cost of putting a huge operation on an island in the middle of a turbulent sea...but again, the donation is optional, usually only a SASE is required...AND, even then, no SASE, it may STILL come back through the buro (however,i encourage SASE, and maybe a a few bucks http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif ).
What it comes down to, im sure many have worked W4B, most will want a card, and some arent going to be happy about the apparent price of a card...even though they would really like one, it seems a bit steep. hoping someone chokes on it is a bit steep too. if you want a card, you most likely wont miss the five bucks. for the guys of the operation, maybe $3 would look better next time unless i missed something. if theres a legitimate reason for the cost, i will understand, but nevertheless, thanks for recognizing a huge and signifigant event in history, one im particularly interested as an aviation buff. as for the rest of us, its not really that big of a deal.
The winter will be long, the buffalo are moving on, and in the words of Ten Bears "lets smoke a while" and talk of pleasant things.

And THANK YOU for not mentioning Dubya, Liberals or no-code! holy moly i can use a break from that crap!!

73 and ill catch you guys on the air! Adam, N7YA

[N7YA]

...i just realized i should apologize for mentioning that crap...we were going along just fine without a word about it....muy lo siento mi amigos!! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/confused.gif

73...Adam, N7YA

[KB3HER]

For those of you who grip about the cost, five dollars is a mere speck when you consider postage, the time it takes to verify some of your questionable call signs, possible check ins and various other assundry mishaps that people create as "radio operators". I feel that this should be an honor, as opposed to a priveledge to make contacts with people who are trying to make an event a hallmark in history. Please, if the costs offset you so much, keep it to yourself others enjoy this priviledge we share and are willing to support the endeavors of us who have tried to bookmark history. If you made contact we are grateful, and glad we were there for the cause. It was a great time and I met wonderful people - people who if you met them were worth more than five dollars.

TO KB3HER, WELL SAID AND STATED, MY BEST 73 TO YOU. TOM N2NZJ #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif #http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif