A few weeks ago I had the distinct privilege of visiting and operating the finest ham radio contest station in Acadiana. This station was built over many years by a ham with a passion for ham radio. The equipment is the best, much of it home-brewed, and the antenna farm is impressive, covering many acres. The primary operator has become known as one of the best contest operators in the world. Many of his evenings and weekends are spent upgrading and maintaining the equipment and antennas. The station, of course is the "camp" of W5WMU. It is primarily a contest station and is used during all of the major events, always placing at or near the top.
Few of us have the resources to build a station of this magnitude and even fewer have the passion to want to try. Most of us are content with operating VHF, HF round robins, or some occasional DX because we have never had an opportunity to try different bands, modes, and activities. Some of us would very much like to have a station that includes equipment and antennas to operate any band and mode for which we are licensed, but few of us are able to. As a club, we are building AMOS, which will give some of this capability to members. While not as comfortable as a clubhouse would be, it can still allow us to experience contesting, DXing, ragchewing, etc. without the personal expense until we find out where our individual passion is. A personal station can then be equipped for a particular purpose. AMOS is insured and registered for highway use. The radio still needs to be

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