As I was looking through the results of the some of the RTTY contests
last year from DJ3NG's RTTY Contest site, I came across UN6P's callsign
which reminded of me of how I worked him this past weekend in Roundup.
I was calling CQ and a station came back to me with:
"UN6P DE W1XYZ (call changed to protect the innocent) W1XYZ W1XYZ"
I came right back and gave W1XYZ a report and asked him to correct my
callsign, which he did. He apologized for not changing the call in his
entry
window. I realized that if he had UN6P in his entry window, then UN6P
must be close by.
I told him "no problem", just tell me where UN6P was on the band.
He told me up 5 khz. I ran up there and sure enough, there was
UN6P calling CQ with no takers. I got a new multiplier!
Just one of those little things that happens during the course of a
contest that I don't always remember.
Finding multipliers in strange ways reinforces my thoughts that use
of the packetcluster is fine for some contests, but not others.
I'm glad the packetcluster is not permitted for the Roundup. Going
back and looking at the cluster spots after the contest, I realize
that indeed the multipliers were there, I just did a poor job of
finding them. Last year I was lucky in that more multipliers came
to me when I was CQ'ing because condx were better. This year I was
so concerned with my rate that I lost focus finding multipliers.
Oh well... guess that's something I can work to improve on.
Packetcluster use is permitted in the BARTG Sprint, which is good
because it doesn't have large participation yet. It's a tough one
for me to operate because it starts at 1200Z and nothing opens here
'til about 1300Z, so the East Coast gets a good head start on me,
but that makes it that much more challenging. Looking forward to it.
73, Don AA5AU
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