[DX] RE: [dx-list] last 2 and CW

[n4kg@juno.com]

Danny,

I noticed you did NOT choose to include your CALLSIGN with your
comments.  My responses are inserted below.   Tom  N4KG

On Thu, 31 Oct 2002  Danny Douglas <ddouglas@gcc.vccs.edu> writes:
> Im sorry, I really dont know why some folks have such a terror of 
> hearing  last two calls.  If you listen to a pile-up and can hear the
DX, as 
> well as  those callin, you will quite often hear someone (for instance
N7DC) 
> giving their full call.  Then you might hear the DX station saying "DC?
go 
> ahead".    Possibly the pile was all talking at the beginning, and 
> cleared  up just in time for the DX to heard "DC".  Thats all of the
call the 
> DX  heard.  Is he suppose to ignore it?  What this does, to others 
> listening,  is tell the group that its ok to use the "last two" becaue
the DX 
> just responded to someone they thought did just that.   Its easy to
jump 
> to  conclusions and assume its ok with the DX station, until he says 
> something about full calls only, or like the 9K station, works em, then
doesnt 
> log  the contact.  If you are the DX, and dont want last two- dont 
> respond to them, but do be courteous enough to say you want full calls
only.
> 
	First, 9K2ZZ DOES announce he wants FULL  CALLS ONLY
	but the "Last Two" devotees don't seem to want to hear that,
	or else THEY AREN'T LISTENING with their full attention.

	Second, as your scenario describes, when a partial call is
	received it takes EXTRA TRANSMISSIONS for the DX
	station to complete the Call and exchange, SLOWING
	his rate which means it will take LONGER for everyone
	else to make their contacts and move on.  THIS is the
	reason the better DX operators despise the practice of
	calling with the LAST TWO.

 While we are discussing this, I would bring up another point that 
> gripes me 
> and that is the DX station who says he is listening up 3, and then 
> listens 
> from 3 up to infinity.  If you want to listen to a particular 
> frequency , 
> up 3 is fine.  But, dont listen up 6.   If you want callers to call 
> up 3 to 
> 6 kc, say so.  The ones that really dont make any sense at all are 
> those 
> who say something to the effect "up 5 to 15".  He then starts up 5 , 
> calls 
> someone there, then moves 100 cy up and calls the next one, then up 
> 100 and 
> calls the next.  Within moments, everyone knows his listening 
> pattern, and 
> lo and behold EVERYONE suddenly appears up 100 cy from the last QSO. 
> Then 
> up 100 for the next, all the way up to the top of his listening 
> bracket, 
> and then back down 100 cy at a time.   What good does operating this 
> way 
> do?  Got me.  If he wants a pile up on one freq, thats the way to do 
> it, 
> but then why not just say up 5 and pick out the strongest one there 
> each 
> time?  This type of operation just uses up excess bandwidth for his 
> so 
> called "listening freqs" and no one else can use the freqs because 
> the 
> group moves in and out , causing QRM over the entire bandspread.  
> How do 
> you avoid these pile-ups?  Quit using this silly method of 
> regularity.  An 
> example:   Say your listening up 5 to 15.  Then do exactly that.  
> Call 
> someone up 8, then up 3, up 14, up 2.   Keep the callers guessing, 
> and they 
> will finally spread out, up and down your listening freqs, and they 
> will be 
> much easier to pick out.  After all, that IS the reason for split 
> operation, as far as the DX station is concerned.  You will be able 
> to 
> select out even the weaker, and rarer stations as well, and have a 
> lot more 
> fun doing so.  Its even fun to insure the callers ARE listening and 
> hearing 
> you:  Simply tell them what freq you are going to listen to next.  
> Up 4, 
> Down 2 etc.  There will be a few on each freq; Those who were 
> listening and 
> hearing you.  The rest, well they are just yellers anyway. By the 
> way, DX 
> stations PLEASE give your call, EVERY QSO, its not only usually the 
> law, 
> but its the polite way to operate.   Its always amusing, in a teeth 
> clinching kind of way, to hear someone make a QSO with a station, 
> and THEN 
> ask him for his call.  If you dont know who you are talking to, why 
> did you 
> call?  
> 

A LOT of the dynamics of pileup handling and behavior depends
on the size of the pileup and the capability of the DX operator.
Higher rates are possible if there are a limited number of callers 
on the same frequency.  When the number of callers is large,
then it is necessary to spread the pileup out or limit the 
number of callers (numbers, last letter, geographically, etc).
Jumping around for every QSO actually SLOWS the rate
while the DX operator has to hunt around to pick up a call.

LARGE pileups are a drag, no question.  My pet peeve is the
DX operator who says "QRZ UP" without giving a clue as to
where he is listening (or a range), especially if skip is long and
it is difficult to impossible to spot successful callers.

One recent DXpedition operator was saying "listening for Generals,
QRZ UP" without giving any clue as to where he was tuning. YUCK.
After 20 minutes, I finally spotted a successful caller (NOT in the
general class band segment) and worked him on the first call.

I have vivid memories of missing a couple of VERY RARE ONES
on 80M because the operator called CQ but gave NO indication 
of where he was listening.   I heard the first CQ from a 3C0 on
80 CW, called him transceive, then called him up 2, to no avail.
He simply went away.  I also heard VU4GDG's first CQ on 80M,
just after my sunrise. I called on frequency while a friend called up 2. 

My friend worked him and all H*** broke loose.  I never could bust
the pileup (of more favorably located callers).  These are 2 of the
10 countries I still need on 80M.  It's a VIVID memory !

Tom  N4KG

p.s.  Trucating line length BEFORE the margins (i.e. NOT 
using 'wordwrap') prevents the choppy appearance of quotes
as seen above.




________________________________________________________________
Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today
Only $9.95 per month!
Visit www.juno.com