[PaQSO] RTTY Interference

[Stan Reas]

This last weekend was the Virginia QSO Party.

Per "Scoring" in the rules:
	QSO's count 1 point per phone, 2 points per CW, 2 points
	per digital (RTTY, PSK31, etc.), and 3 points per
	contact made with a Virginia Mobile (Phone or CW or
	Digital).

Also under the "Frequencies" in the rules:
	Digital contacts should use normally accepted subbands
	for these modes.

I operated Mobile CW in the QSO Party from 11 Counties and 4 Cities.

In the evening of both days 40 Meters was made useless due to operation
of RTTY stations throughout from 7.000 to 7.100 MHz.  Not being able to
decipher RTTY while running mobile I had thought these stations were
participating in the VA QSO Party.

Since then I learned that it probably was the BARTG RTTY contest which
was causing all the interference thoughout the CW portion of 40 Meters.

I had to give up my operations on 40 Meters both evenings.

I don't know whether the proposed rules for the 2006 PA QSO Party will include
a statement similar to that in the VA QSO Party rules with regard to PA 
stations
operating digital to do so in their normally accepted subbands.

I would suggest that such a statement would be desirable.

Also if there is a competing RTTY contest during the PA QSO Party weekend, 
you might
want to consider changing the date to a weekend where there is no RTTY 
contest anywhere
in the world.

I still feel it is a VERY POOR idea to give these "digital" modes 2 points 
on all bands.  It
takes skill to copy CW.  It takes no skill to have a computer copy 
"digital" signals.

And that's my "two-cents worth"

73, Stan - K4UK