[Elecraft] K3 "blur" was a no-show during ARRL 10m

[GM0ELP]

The words "blur" and "mush" are confusing to me. The effect I heard whilst
running on 80m during CQWW (CW) 2010 was the following:

A very slight raise in the noise floor then a random partial letter a few
seconds later.

If this is what is meant by "blur" and "mush" then I have noticed the
effect. I was running and had just finished my last CQ call (I was
considering a QSY) when I first noticed it.  I decided to call CQ again and
noticed the same effect again. The penny finally dropped that the slight
rise in noise floor was actually a pile-up of similar strength stations
calling me (all S5, with S4 noise floor). To test my theory I sent back 2
letters which clearly appeared on their own 2 or 3 seconds after my last CQ
call and low and behold a single US station came back Q5. I worked another
10 or so stations in exactly the same way until the effect disappeared as
did the pile-up (probably all pretty hacked off with how slow I was working
through them). I later discovered I had been spotted by KC1XX.

The reason for the random partial letter a few seconds after your CQ call,
is that the pile up seems to "*disappear*" until only the last few callers
are still calling. Usually these stations have the longest callsign or sent
their callsign twice.

The difficult thing about this effect is that first you have to realise what
is going on. If you are calling CQ with hardly any gap between each call,
you will not know the effect has taken place (you may be unaware a pile up
is there until it has thinned out), as tail end callers will only become
apparent when you are transmitting again. You have to pause between CQ calls
(much longer than usual) before you get the hint of what is going on.

Not wanting to have to pause long enough between every CQ call to catch this
effect again, I haven't noticed it recently (ignorance is bliss).

73

Doug MM3T

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