[NLRS] Calling frequencies

[Richard Clem]

I'm definitely not a big gun, so please take the following with a grain of
salt.  In VHF contests, I usually just get on for a while to "hand out a few
QSO's".  My only VHF rig is QRP, and my best antenna is a squalo.

If I had a better station (which I will at some point), I would probably be
able to break through the QRM on 144.200.  But I'm pretty sure I've missed
some QSO's due to congestion on the calling frequency.  And I make QSO's there
too, so the only reason I'm less to blame than anyone else is because I have a
weaker signal :-)

I think what would help is to make a call on the calling frequency, and then
announce a listening frequency.  For example, "CQ CONTEST CQ CONTEST, THIS IS
W0IS W0IS, LISTENING ON 235 235".  Then, immediately call CQ again on the
announced frequency.

It seems like this is the best of both worlds.  You get the attention of
people with their VFO's parked on the calling frequency, but you also avoid
congestion there when the next calling station shows up.

On the other hand, I don't think it's a good idea to have a hard and fast rule
of never making QSO's on the calling frequency.  If the band sounds completely
dead, it's actually a good thing to have a little bit of chatter going on
there, so that the DX can hear if the band opens.  When I was mobile in SD
during e-skip season, I kept monitoring 50.125, and was usually alerted to
openings by ongoing QSO's on the calling frequency.  Since I was just running
5 watts into a Hamstick, I then usually called CQ in CW on 50.095, which
allowed me to pick up a QSO or two with conditions that weren't good enough
for SSB.  But when the band appeared dead, it was QSO's (not CQ's) on the
calling frequency that alerted me to openings.  So QSO's on the calling
frequency aren't necessarily a bad thing.

But it seems to me that CQ'ing on the calling frequency, and then announcing
the QSY frequency would be the best of both worlds.  I suspect it would give
someone like me with a marginal signal a better chance of handing out a few
more QSO's.

73,
Rick W0IS