Towards 160 m rules:
1 Each 160M contest to last from "local dawn to dusk" not from 'x' hours Zulu
Consider you are not the only contesters in the USA, think about it.
2 Points based upon radial measurement from stations QTH.
The GRIDS are very good idea, it works very fine on VHF here in
EU, there are dozens of programs which handle it and to copy the
grid would make the QSO more complicated, if not too
complicated for 160. It is actually always a big problem on VHF
in EU since there all the contests have same rules, you have to
copy both the #No + GRID, and get 1 pojnt for 1 km. The TOP
stations finish than with a database of active stations etc....
And the all the time discussed problem with packet is back
again, if you try hard after the contest you will find the
proper GRID - or LOCATOR as wee say here in EU somewhere
3 Band split into 3, .....non participants....US EAST + US West.....DX....
The idea as published here seems to me as nonsense but working
split seems to me as the only practical chance to work more
than 5 DX contacts from middle EU to USA. The "DX" windows is
in EU so full that even a station with reasonable atennas
and power like myself has practically no chance to work there, I
believe the US guys do here me but I here just spletters from
other EU stations. The solution is to listen on some weird
frequency. If this idea can be some worked out it might help to
estabilish more "DX" contacts.
4 DX to US qsos can only be between windows ie split freq only.
see #3
5 Each organiser must appoint someone who's job is to tune the band logging
infringements. Disqualification rewards bad operating behaviour.
I can not imagine in real life. It will generate a lot of anger....
6 QSO must include serial number, lets reintroduce some skill into the qso
see #2, but again I am afraid it would make the QSOs on 160 far
too complicated, if there would be only 5 stations it will work but
you fight mostly "JAM", noise, QRN....
Toward problem with keying ALPHA * ICOM on the beginnig of the QSO.
I had the same problem with IC751A and ALPHA89. Obviously it is
caused by poor T/R switching of the otherwice very good ICOM radios.
100% sure cure is: Put the foot switch not into the radio but into
the AMPLIFIER and key the TRX with output of AMP and you are safe.
73 ! Jiri - OK1RI
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