[CW] Etiquette(SP!) question...

Wed, 21 May 2003 10:41:34 +0200

Hi David

I sometimes operate QRP so perhaps I can give another perspective. Usually
when operating QRP I am sitting on top of a mountain somewhere having hiked
up it with my K1 (which gives 5W from internal AA batteries), a multi-band
dipole and a telescopic fishing rod to raise the dipole with. So it's not an
option to start at 100W and then reduce power. Also, I wouldn't submit QSOs
that had been initiated QRO for a QRP award, such as DXCC/QRP, I would feel
that I was cheating (although that's a purely personal opinion).

One of the first things you learn about QRP, especially when operating from
outside of the major ham concentrations of Europe, the US and Japan, is that
"hunt and peck" is usually a better strategy than calling CQ as often your
CQ is too weak to attract attention amongst the stronger signals. So I
listen for someone in QSO or calling CQ. If I hear a QSO and the station is
running a KW and I'm only hearing him (or her) 339, then I probably won't
call. However if I hear someone calling CQ, and they are 459 to me, then
I'll definitely give it a go. After all I have no idea what power he/she is
running, or what antenna, where it is pointing, etc. Sometimes a fairly weak
station on hearing me will point the beam my way and we'll have a really
nice QSO. Of course I don't mind if there is no response, although I do
appreciate the courtesy of the operator who comes back with "SRI VY WK OM
73" or similar, in which case I'll just send "73" and move on.

But I really appreciate it when someone takes the trouble to listen for me
through the noise and complete the QSO - for example, last Sunday (18 May) I
was operating from the minor summit of Devil's Peak (near Cape Town, South
Africa) after a 4-hour hike, and Andre F2MA completed with me from near
Paris under really difficult conditions. And yes you are right - the contact
definitely honoured Andre, either he was hearing much better than many of
the other European stations, or he was just the one who took the trouble to
come back to my feeble signal.

So why do I do it? Well there's something magic about getting through to
Europe on the power of a few penlight batteries. Especially when on the way
home I heard some of the "big gun" phone ops who run QRO complaining about
how DX was "impossible" that day. I just smiled to myself and thought, well
there's one for CW (although being 2,700 ft up can't have hurt!). And then
of course there's the view.

73
Andrew ZS1AN/p

www.qsl.net/zs1an  (my personal web page)
www.qsl.net/sotasa (Summits on the Air in South Africa)

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]]On
Behalf Of David J. Ring Jr - N1EA
Sent: 21 May 2003 07:05
To: Gene Buckle; [email protected]
Subject: Re: [CW] Etiquette(SP!) question...

I often get calls from stations with VERY poor signals.  This often happens
if you have a very big signal.  (At the time I was running 4 element yagi
and 500 watts at a great QTH...)  The signals I was hearing were barely in
the noise, and then when I replied I got the "RIG HR 20 WATTS AND W3DZZ
ANTENNA UP 10 METERS BT TKS FOR QSO OM NICE TO ..."

So often after straining I get that it is a QRPer.  Running 2 watts to a
indoor antenna.  Sometimes it seems not worth the blasting of the QRN into
my ears.

But I hope that eventually those guys will "wise up" and get a good antenna
at least, or call at high power, and then do a "QRP" test by lowering power.

On 10 meters, I have gone from 1000 watts output to 100 watts output and my
signal due to conditions has gone from S-9 to S-2 and once when I told a 20
watt station how difficult he was, I went to 20 watts output.  He couldn't
copy me at all.

Sometimes it is good policy to do this to QRPers so they can understand what
you're doing.  Often the QRPers tell me "I couldn't copy you if you were the
same power as me."

So I guess being in a QRP contact honors the receiving guy.

73

David
N1EA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gene Buckle" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2003 12:03 AM
Subject: [CW] Etiquette(SP!) question...

> I was calling CQ on 14.040 tonight and I heard a reply so faint, the only
> reason I knew the person was calling me was the pattern of AFE in my call.
> Even straining with the volume all the way up, I could hear him so poorly,
> I could only make out bits and peices of letter elements.
>
> I feel bad that I didn't try to return to him, but I didn't feel that I
> could copy enough of his faint transmission to make a solid contact.
>
> Should I have let him know by sending SRI QRN CNT CPY or something
> similar or was I correct in just not responding?
>
> tnx.
>
> g.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> CW mailing list
> [email protected]
> http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/cw
>

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