[Elecraft] K3 and CQWW

[Jim Brown]

On Mon, 1 Dec 2008 14:06:35 -0800 (PST), Bill W4ZV wrote:

> said a "very slow caller" in a "big pileup".  I did not say a slow caller
>with nobody else calling.  I stand by my statement.

Agreed. One W7 kept calling continuously at 18 wpm when it was obvious he 
couldn't hear the DX station. I heard several instances of that, and it made 
things quite difficult for the guys that COULD hear the DX.  

>I also wouldn't disparage contesters too much.  They're much more likely to
>hear your 100W to an attic antenna than someone using similar antennas to
>yours.  QRPers sometimes forget who is doing the real work when they make a
>rare DX contact.

Agreed on all counts. I've been in chairs on both sides of that QSO. The 
antenna farms at stations like N6RO and W8JI include serious RX antennas and 
serious RXs. THAT'S why they can work flies peeing out the window in JA on 
160. 

But I also agree with G4ILO when he correctly observed these egomaniacs CQing 
at 40 WPM for the last 8 hours of the contest and getting very few answers. 
QRQ WAS definitely part of why they were getting no calls -- they had already 
worked the several hundred guys who CAN read 40 WPM. My call has a lot of 
dashes in it, so I regularly work at 29 WPM or so, but when things get slow, 
I'll CQ at 25 or so. When it's not piled up, I'll certainly QRS when the other 
guy is QRS. But like you, when I'm running, the call I'll answer first is the 
one I think I can work the quickest, whether it's a better signal or a 
faster/better op. 

Jim K9YC