[Wswss] VHF contest operating etiquette

[Jack Henry]

Hello WSWSS members,

   I am not real happy about sending this message, but there is something I 
want to get off my chest.

My problem is that I am not enjoying the contests like I have in the 
past.  I find myself turning the radio off in the middle of a 
contest  because I cannot stand the lousy operating practices of a few.  I 
am using this forum to perhaps reach a few people and hopefully maybe some 
will change their practices.

This is what bugs me.

1.  I hear a rare grid distant station on 144.200.  He hears me, and I am 
in process of working him and trying to copy his grid, when K6LID comes on 
top to announce he is listening on 144.XYZ.  That wouldn't be so bad, but 
he gives his call phonetically 2 times very slowly, gives his grid twice, 
and says he is listening on XYZ twice for any call. He takes so long I 
think he must be puffing on a cigarette between every syllable.  Of course, 
the DX station I was working has faded out by the time my AGC recovers. 
Yes, this bugs me. Some probably say, mellow out or get over it, but 
wouldn't if be nicer if stations who practice this would just listen before 
making their announcements.  I mean listen for a minute, not a millisecond. 
Then if they insist, they can give their call and frequency ONCE and move 
off.  Some will say, why are you operating on 200. Well it is a known fact 
that many DX stations operating in the boondocks, that have low levels of 
activity,  utilize 200 waiting for the propagation to change.

2.  Stations who are in metropolitan areas, or close to one, who park on 
200 and consistently call CQ bug me.   And I do mean consistently, you know 
them because you   have heard them. They think they own the calling 
frequency and call right over the top of anyone else trying to use the 
frequency. Its  amazing that some of these stations live in poor locations 
with indoor antennas, or run high power and cannot receive because  of high 
QRN.  Wouldn't it be nice if these people got a clue, and if they still 
insisted on CQing  on 200,  that they would do it only once every 5 minutes 
instead of once every 15 seconds.  This way you and I  could listen for the 
stations in the remote outlying grids.  Wouldn't it be even better if they 
called CQ on another frequency.  We could then work them QRM free and find 
out what the big knob on the radio is for.

3.  The propagation changes and K7RAR starts coming in and you are hearing 
him fine but there is a pileup.  The pileup starts to thin a bit when you 
think you have a chance, and then K6LID asks him to QSY to band X.  This 
bugs me.  Why doesn't the DX station just say, "I will QSY there, but first 
I want to work everybody here who is waiting"?

Please, if you think you might be one of the K6LID's, give us all a break 
so we can have fun in the contest.  If anyone hears me sounding like a 
K6LID, please let me know.

I guess that is all that's bugging me today and it is off my chest. Now I 
will be able to sleep tonight.  Thanks for reading and I'm sorry if I 
sounded like Andy Rooney.

See you in the contest

73  Jack  N6XQ

PS  I checked and K6LID is not issued.  Maybe we can have it assigned 
to  one of these lids.