Hi Wally,
> As stated in my message, the points system could be left as it is.
> Today I have read the rules for WWL Contest and I think that these
> rules could be simply taken and a WWL Contest should be started for
> 160m only, if we want everything to be fair. Since I know how
> relactant to the changes they are at CQ I decided to suggest slow
> changes which evidently was a "bad moove". Of course combining the QRB
> with squares is the best solution ( like they made it in WWL).
Please, no more new SSB contests on 160 meters unless the
rules require people to follow regional bandplans!!!
While 160 SSB contests are probably always going to be
problems, forcing NA stations to follow the bandplan and NOT work
NA to NA below 1850 and allowing no NA SSB below 1840 would
go a long ways towards making the contest livable. People would
be forced to work split, and the could work ten times the DX they
now work. There is an entire band from 1850-2000 kHz for SSB,
and yet everyone (including people who can't hear well) seems to
feel it necessary to park on the same frequencies the Europeans
and others must transmit on.
it seems the problem now, for those who are concerned with
multipliers, are the endless CQ's and stateside contacts that
prevent long distance contacts. Not only are most real DX stations
under many layers of QRM in NA, any reply from NA has to make
it back through layers of Eu QRM in Eu.
Most of this is because the lower end is full of same-continent
QRM. If some effort was made to force split operations, the
situation would greatly improve.
> pick up the DX call out of noise. Evidence - K1ZM has called me for
> 15min in SSB part but when I had HG1S,HG3DX , OM0WR comming 60db over
> S9 here how can I pick him up ? At the same time an EI or EA could
> hear him without problems in case they have say a dipole at 20m above
> ground and condx are relatively good.
Same problem this end, we had K1 (and on occasion others)
operating 1836 or so. his of course took out the upper 2kHz of the
(foolishly chosen) SSB 1830-35 DX Window, while an XE3 used
the lower spot from 1833 down. This eliminated hearing weak DX in
the poorly placed DX Window.
When the east coast reached sunrise two east coast stations, one
was the fellow who frequently tied up the upper half of the Window,
suddenly felt it necessary to ragchew about scores and
multipliers...while wiping out a VK6. Even when ragchewing
common sense won't used.
Since people won't use common sense in operating, it has to be
forced on them. 5 kHz is too small for a DX Window, and NA
stations should not have emissions in the DX Window anyway.
The problem is not specific stations, but the way the rules are
written. In a contest, nearly all common sense and manners
disappear with the need to fight for a spot and keep it clear. If
contests required people to follow bandplans operating would be
better for everyone, and we would not set bad examples for others.
> So, I personally quit from CQ 160m contests in the future and will
> make just few QSOs to give some points to the friends. In case rules
> are changed I could change my mind.
So I have, so far as SSB contests. I, and several others I know,
make it a point to only give contacts to people following bandplans
or traditional operating methods.
160 meters, because of the large ratio between local and distant
signals and the lack of a skip zone, is a very poor band for simplex
DX operation. There is a lot of room in the band that is wasted
while people crowd the low end in hopes of working the one lucky
fellow who happens to make it through from Europe.
With 150 kHz available above 1850 in NA, there is no reason for
simplex DX operation or SSB below 1840 in NA. At the very least,
same continent QSO's should be banned below 1850 in the USA
and between 1840 and 1850 in other areas.
73, Tom
(W8JI@akorn.net)
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