[OKDXA] FW: Incessant QRM

[Doug]

This comes from my brother, K6XT.  He makes some cogent points to ponder,
and I've noticed the same problems.

73, Doug W5GA




I'm mad. I'm going to be unpopular. Who cares, y'all say??

This relates to contesting in the sense that a pileup is contesting, 
altho it's really DXing.

Last night I had to work J5C 3 times to think I had one QSO. Not because 
I couldn't hear him. I just happened to choose a great freq where he 
could hear my call. So could the lids. All the lids and kids were 
calling on my freq  while I tried to complete the QSO. And I never did 
get a firm confirmation of contact, so had to work him again today.

Now I'm on a tear. Listening on 80 to J5C tonight, specifically for 
butthead QRMers, was a lesson. N9OY. W6QUV. W7KNT. W0GG. N0VD. NI6T. A 
host of others, these lids had big sigs easily scanned for, not a one 
even remotely like the call J5C was replying to. I don't know ya, hope I 
never need to. Likely this will cost me acquaintances. Like I said, I'm mad.

There were many posts recently about semi-intentional QRM, the recently 
accelerating trend to incessantly call when it is clear the DX is trying 
to complete a QSO with an entirely unrelated callsign, and exactly zero 
beat with the station the DX is trying to work....leaving no doubt the 
lid can actually hear the DX, so that the world knows you're a lid.

Unacceptable conduct.

I'm not perfect. But. I don't do it intentionally, like I hear these 
dopes doing. If I'm out of line on the air, fine. Chastise me severely, 
like what happened  on J5C on 160 when I started calling CQ naqp on 29.6 
with them on 30.0. It happens (no packet allowed on naqp so I didn't 
know, and nil in my rx). The intentional crap has to stop somewhere. If 
more of us were to make significant note of it, maybe we could stop some 
of it.

One line of thought is work em thru the lids, make the point that way. 
OK, I do that too when I can with my modestly effective setup. That 
won't get folks to stop it.

Like CBers on 10. If nobody does anything nothing will happen. If you 
can't hear DON'T CALL. If he didn't come back to something that at least 
minimally resembles your callsign, DON'T CALL. Whoever 'you' is, me 
included.

Just my insignificant opinion.

73 Art

------------------------------------------
I've had a few responses from incessant QRMers that they do it because 
they think the DX will work them faster.

This is absolutely not true. Listen to any good size pileup. What 
happens is the DX has to repeatedly say things like "QRX QRX QRX. Only 
the K6X". And so on. The DX could be exchanging reports but instead must 
  first get the incessant QRM stopped.

The fact is, over all time, the3 rate of working DX decreases as a 
result of incessant calling. Everyone worldwide is slowed because the 
QRMers choose to be boorish DX hogs. What a great face to put on for all 
the world to hear.

Here's how it works. Every pileup has a hierarchy. Each of us has a 
position on any given frequency based on signal strength, operating 
skills, timing etc. If not at the top of that pile, you won't get worked 
until the DX peels off the layers above you like an onion. When the DX 
does, you'll get worked. Until then, if you're calling out of turn, 
you're just intentional QRM. Your only effectivity is to increase the 
background noise, which is equivalent to reducing the signal to noise 
ratio of the staion the DX wants to work.

There is only one shortcut. That is to accurately place your transmitter 
on the frequency the DX will visit next, call at just the right time, 
and be the only one or the loudest one on that freq. That, my incessant 
caller friends, is a learned skill. No amount of dumping your call on 
top of the station the DX is currently trying to work will train you for 
it. And until you do learn it, welcome to the bleachers. You'll be one 
of the ops with that crestfallen look who allows as how "I called and 
called and called, but the pileup was just too big."

"Well, Mr. Motormouth", you say, "fine. You've been DXing for 50 years. 
How did you learn it?"

It has very little to do with how big the station is, although that 
certainly helps in how fast things get done. For example I worked VU7RG 
on 3 bands with 100W and a wire, about as remote from me as DX can get. 
They were S-nothing the whole time. No big station here. Here it comes, 
oh so painful. There are two elements to learning it. Each has 3 parts. 
Ready? Turn  the page: Practice, practice, practice. Listen, listen, listen.

More information from one of our senior DXperts can be found here. Pay 
special attention to paragraph two and the sentence following.

http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2002/03/01/3/

73 Good DX
Art