[Drake] Contest QRM

Sun Nov 20 22:45:16 EST 2011

Dave,

Well said.  Also, there's no rule against using vintage gear in a  
contest either.  I ran my C line this weekend in the SS.  181 Q's and  
3 sections short of a clean sweep in about 10 hours of operation.  
Used it in the CQ WW DX last month just as I will in the ARRL DX  
contest later this winter.

Rick
W9WS

On Nov 20, 2011, at 3:30 PM, Paul wrote:

> While I accept the purpose of this reflector is focused on Drake  
> equipment,
> I'd like to respond to the "anti-contest" crowd at large. This also  
> applies
> to a lesser extent to those who are "anti-DX".
>
> While it is indeed true that there is some sort of contest activity  
> every
> weekend, there really are only about 5 major SSB contests per year  
> that
> "take over the whole band": SweepStakes (November), CQWWDX  
> (October), ARRLDX
> (March), WPX (March), and FD (June - and this is really an emergency
> preparedness event).
>
> Let me quantify it another way: There are 52 weekends per year,  
> major SSB
> contest activities consume 5 weekends (10%). Out of 365 days in a  
> year,
> we're talking about 10 days of SSB contests. Is it REALLY that much  
> of an
> imposition on the hobby as a whole?
>
> Permit me to address the 700,000 figure of licensed USA Amateurs  
> not being
> contesters. How many of the 700,000 are active on HF more than 12  
> times a
> year? How many are active on HF on any given day? I'm sure a whole  
> lot less
> than 700,000 or people would be complaining about over crowded  
> bands every
> day! Sorry, that figure doesn't prove anything really. You could  
> say "What
> percentage of the 700,000 licensed hams are on PSK-31?" It wouldn't  
> prove
> anything in this context.
>
> Activity on the bands during contests ebbs and flows based on QSO  
> rates as
> driven by propagation. The point being, the "non-contester" can  
> alter the
> time/band/frequency of their QSOs to work around the contest. You  
> know the
> contest weekend is coming up, change your plans to work around it.
>
> Besides fuming about the contest "ruining the entire band" why not  
> try a
> WARC band, or another mode? How about go visit old ham buddies face  
> to face?
> What about cleaning up the shack or doing antenna work? Or, as  
> suggested
> below, do something besides ham radio.
>
> What about "deliberate interference"? Having a contester park his "CQ
> Machine" 1 kHz away from your QSO does not constitute "deliberate
> interference". The FCC defines "deliberate" as Station A being  
> interfered
> with by Station B. Station A changes frequency (significantly - not by
> 500Hz)to get away from Station B's QRM (here is the deliberate  
> part) and
> Station B follows station A and resumes the interfering activity.
>
> Nets and contests? As I'm sure everyone is aware, the FCC doesn't  
> authorize
> any individual or group exclusive rights to a specific frequency in  
> the
> Amateur Radio Service. The vast majority of contesters will give  
> organized
> nets respect and a wide birth when requested. In the case of a DX  
> contest, a
> foreign station may not be able to copy the stations involved in a  
> domestic
> (USA) type net and you can't fault him for that.
>
> Emergency preparation? This is the one that tends to "tighten my  
> jaw". You
> want efficiency in emergency communications. Let me tell you, there is
> nobody better than a contest operator at getting information  
> through during
> rough conditions. Contesters tend to have the best equipment and  
> stations at
> their disposal along with the sharpest operating skills. Besides,  
> how many
> times do you need to drill for an emergency? Especially on HF. When  
> there
> really is an emergency and "clear channels" are declared by the FCC in
> support of disaster communications both ARRL and CQ (as contest  
> sponsors) go
> out of their way to get the word out regarding these "clear  
> channels". This
> has happened only a very small number of times during a major contest
> weekend.
>
> One final point if I may. If it wasn't for Contesters and DXer's, I  
> contend
> HF equipment sales would have diminished years ago. If all you want  
> to do is
> ragchew with the guy across town on 80 meters, your B-Line or  
> SB-102 will do
> that just fine. You want to copy the guy stranded in a sailboat in  
> distress
> under the Latino SSB traffic on 14303, you'll likely need a better  
> radio
> than something from the 1960's. The next time you're at a large  
> hamfest, go
> talk to the Yaesu, Kenwood or ICOM rep and ask him who provides the  
> most
> input (in terms of advancing the state of the art) that hams would  
> like to
> see in their radios.
>
> At the end of the day, amateur radio is a truly the greatest hobby  
> and is
> essentially unlimited in terms of things try. There is no reason  
> for anyone
> to become bored with ham radio. To close this missive, keep an open  
> mind!
> Maybe even give contesting a try. You might get hooked on the  
> sport, or
> collecting States for a WAS award, or Zones for WAZ or countries  
> for DXCC.
>
> I apologize if my rather curt response offended anyone, but I do  
> have a
> problem with one group steadfastly refusing to get along with the  
> interests
> of another - especially when it concerns a hobby. As you no doubt  
> concluded,
> I am a contester (almost exclusively CW these days) and a DXer but  
> I also
> enjoy working on (and operating) Drakes and other "classic"  
> equipment. See -
> there's 3 or 4 ham radio interests right here :-)
>
> Vy 73
> Paul K5RT
>
>
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