[NLRS] Thoughts about 144.200 and a helpful tip

[Todd Sprinkmann]

     I will call CQ on 144.200 in a contest, but not if I hear
anyone else on it, and not for more than 5 or 7 repetitions.
Even with that, I tend to take 10-15 second breaks in case
someone else wants to drop their CQ mixed in with mine.

    When I find someone on 144.200, I try very hard to
hustle us off of there ASAP.  Unless they are a hard-to-get
station or grid.  In that case, I will chat them up a little on
.200, for the express purpose of letting locals who can hear
my loud signal know that I have someone they want to work.
A good example would be someone like N8LIQ up in EN56.
Ed waits probably hours at a time during a contest for *any*
activity.  So once he's got some with me, I'm damn sure going
to yak it up, and hope that some local tuning around will hear
my frequent "hey, guys, I've got Ed N8LIQ here from EN56
up in the U.P.  Who wants to work him?"

    Guys like that are a special exception, and if I found them
initially on .200, they will get a good minute of publicity.  I would
do the same for a K0AWU, a KA0PQW, a KM0T, etc.

     I will admit to not having much faith that anyone will hear
me calling CQ below 144.180/170 or above 144.220/230.  I
will definitely track a rover with a published freq. outside that
range, that's different.

     I like the idea of calling on .200 and announcing I'm listening
down 20, 30, whatever.  I need to remember to do that more.

     I was gabbing a bit with someone out of the area that reads
this list on Sunday morning.  I was amazed to hear he now uses
144.150 as his hangout.  I would never be able to stay down
that far and feel confident folks would find me.  But he surely
knows what he's doing.  I suppose if more folks follow his
lead, it will lead to more folks tuning farther away from .200.
I know N9DG has also been a persistent advocate thru the
years for getting far away from .200.

     My final thought is a tip.  I'm sure plenty of you already do
this, but if it helps turn a light switch on for others, then it's worth
sharing.

     When you're chit-chatting a little bit with someone local to
you, you know comparing scores, or who you've worked so
far, the football game, whatever.... When you're doing that with
a local, please don't point your antennas at each other.  Point
them *away*.

     You're going to hear the other local in any direction you
point.  So why not at least blast your RF in a direction where
it's hitting someone outside of your local area?  Also, I think it's
great to gab some during a contest, because at least it lets others
know there's noise out there -- somewhere.  But when you are
gabbing, take frequent breaks to announce that you and your
buddy *are* contesting and you'll stand by for any other calls.

     I have put this in play with W9GA and we do well with it.
It's also a good way for the station hearing us to get a "two fer".

    If you guys who live close to each other start pointing your
antennas away to distant grids when you gab, and then announce
you are listening for weak ones, everyone will do better.

    73,
    Todd  KC9BQA   EN63ao   40 N of Milwaukee
    50 thru 2304