Browsing through the archives, I just stumbled onto the following from
KE9NA:
>On the other hand clusters sure make working and spotting DX nice. It's
>also nice when you're on the DX end and you realize you are getting
spotted!
That's one guy's opinion. Mine's at the opposite end of that spectrum. I
don't even need to compose a response for this one--it's already in the
ZF2NT web page I'm building:
-----------------
For those of you who have never been on the DX side of things, I can tell
you that it is very easy to tell when somebody puts out a packet spot on
you. You're in a QSO with somebody, just enjoying the rag-chew, and suddenly
you hear multiple people tuning up right on top of the guy you're trying to
copy. Within a few seconds, you start getting a whole bunch of "?" thrown at
you, again right in the middle of your QSO. A few seconds later there will
be a few ill-mannered morons who just go ahead and start blasting their
calls. That makes the rest of the waiting pack bold, and soon everybody
starts braying their calls. So much for conversation.
If I do stick around on the frequency and try to work the people who were
attracted to me by the packet spot, then several characteristics of the
callers become apparent:
- They can't send CW
- They can't copy CW
- They only know how to say 3 or 4 things, all of which I presume are
programmed into the buttons on their keyers. One of them is "5NN". Another
button says "HW QSL?". Finally, if I really try to drag the caller into a
conversation, the most I can get is "OTHERS CLNG 73 DE ..."
So if you think I have a low opinion of packet spot chasers, you're right.
There may be a few good ops among them, but they're sure few and far
between.
So now here's my request: PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't put packet spots out on
me. I'm not a rare find at all. In practically every major contest there is
going to be somebody (often me) who is on from the Cayman Islands running a
pile-up. That's the time for playing the 5NN game. If somebody does put out
a packet spot on me, I normally just reach up and spin the dial to a new
random frequency. If you've been waiting in the woodwork when you see this
happen, just tune around a little. What I'm banking on is that 95% of the
people who chase packet spots can't find their rear end without a
flashlight. They won't be back to bug me until somebody puts out a new
packet spot, and with any luck that will be long enough to squeeze in
another real (tm) QSL.
de N6NT
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