Hank has a valid point....
I've argued this topic on QRZ.com (countless times) and in a letter which
was published in QST.
When we're talking about wall-to-wall contest activity, we're really talking
about 6 contests: ARRL DX, WPX, RDXC, IARU, CQWW and SS (maybe, WAE). If we
look - theoretically - at 20 meter SSB - you can bet that the frequency
range from 14.112 to 14.350 will be filled during these events. This
happens on 10 out of 104 weekend days out of a year. That is less than 10%
of all weekend time.
The remaining 90% of the weekends have ample spectrum for SSB users on 20
SSB. Even where you have events like the IOTA, the NAQP, the myriad state
QSO parties or national/regional contests (like SAC or All Asia), the
loading on the band segment is such that there is ample free space for
non-contest activities. In NAQP for example, you rarely hear activity below
14.175 and rarely, if ever, above 14.300.
Irrespective of the loads that borne by 20 meter SSB during one of the
Big-Six contests, the fact remains that there are significant swaths of
usable amateur spectrum that are contest free. 20 meter CW is contest free
during ARRL DX SSB; 15 meter CW is contest free during ARRL DX CW; 20 meter
SSB is contest free during ARRL DX CW. And, as noted by folks like N3KHK,
the WARC bands are contest free 24/7, 365 days a year. For the TWO major
contests which are dual mode contests (IARU and RDXC), they are 24 hours in
duration and the remaining 24 weekend hours are contest free in toto.
The fact of the matter is that the complaining you hear comes primarily from
people who 1) don't play nice in general, 2) have stpck equipment which does
not lend itself to filtering adjacent QRM (even if the"QRM" is 2.4 KHz
away), 3) don't use the bands except for rare instances, and, 4) and demand
that everybody else acquiesce to their wants and demands whenever they see
fit.
73 Rich NN3W
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hank Garretson" <w6sx@arrl.net>
To: "Ted Bryant" <W4NZ@comcast.net>
Cc: <cq-contest@contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2011 12:42 AM
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Contest-Free Zones was: Re: Record Number of SAC
CW Logs -- Now Grab YourMicrophones!
> The problem with "contest-free" zones is that non-contesters never seem to
>> know where they are.
>>
>> 73, Ted W4NZ
>>
>
>
> An additional problem with "contest-free" zones is that non-contesters
> want
> the zones to include all frequencies, all bands.
>
>
> 73,
>
> Hank, W6SX
>
> Mammoth Lakes, California
>
> Elevation 8083 feet in John Muir's Range of Light
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
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