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Re: [CQ-Contest] [YCCC] Key Clicks in ARRL DX CW

To: cq-contest@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] [YCCC] Key Clicks in ARRL DX CW
From: George K5KG via CQ-Contest <cq-contest@contesting.com>
Reply-to: George K5KG <georgek5kg@aol.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 2016 14:46:25 -0500
List-post: <cq-contest@contesting.com">mailto:cq-contest@contesting.com>
Ok, I will name names. TO7A in FM gets the KEY CLIX AWARD FOR 2016! He was not only massively loud [a good thing], but his clicks were absolutely terrible. At one point, I told him "om bad clix", but he did not respond, and continued his run. TO7A was not the only station with bad key clicks; TI5W was another one that I made a note of. Unfortunately, those were the only two stations I noted with bad clicks. In the future, I will make a list of the ones I run across. They are easy to spot, not only with the ears, but with the P3 panadapter.

73, George, K5KG

On 2/22/2016 8:24 AM, Barry N1EU wrote:
Great point Randy!  The untenable fact now is that those using clean
transmitters (esp K3) are clearly at a disadvantage when running because
they're just sitting ducks, i.e.  inviting someone to get real close to
them and click all over their run frequency.

Barry N1EU

On Mon, Feb 22, 2016 at 8:07 AM, Randy Thompson K5ZD <k5zd@charter.net>
wrote:

The challenge is that the problem is asymmetric.  It is all good for the
clicker in that he gets a clear frequency.  And there is little that a
station not clicking can do in response.

We added the signal quality rule to CQWW, but we receive only 1 or 2 direct
and specific complaints after the contest.  We need more of those to gauge
impact and to know where to look.

This is problem that is going to take a long time to fix, but it has to
start with peer pressure.  I.e., naming names publicly and often.  Stop
saying things like "S5 station" and actually say their call.

Randy, K5ZD


-----Original Message-----
From: YCCC [mailto:yccc-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Barry N1EU
Sent: Monday, February 22, 2016 12:57 PM
To: YCCC
Subject: [YCCC] Key Clicks in ARRL DX CW

(FYI - I just posted this to CQ-Contest)

Instead of the situation improving over the past 15 years with more
awareness, key clicks on the bands during contests have gotten much
worse.
I've copied excerpts from score postings from W1UE and N1EU below.

Two groups of contest operators are going to be much more aware of the
problem than others: those who run a lot (and experience the clarity and
usability of their run frequency deteriorate over time) and those
equipped with panadapters.  I also suspect that east coast operators are
going to be impacted more due to stronger European signal levels.

I suspect the situation doesn't bother most contesting folks as much as
me.  I really think it has gotten bad enough to warrant extreme measures
- we've got the tools to monitor/playback spectrum.  Wide signals simply
should NOT be tolerated and operators should be disqualified.

The other measure I'd really like to see is an S&P only category because
I, for one, would like to throw in the towel entirely on running during
cw contests.

73,
Barry N1EU




On Mon, Feb 22, 2016 at 6:54 AM, Dennis Egan <egan.dennis88@gmail.com>
  wrote:

Sunday afternoon on 40M was a true click-fest.  I had a good 40M
frequency, with a rate of about 80.  Gerry W1VE then nestles in 400
cycles up, and I started getting key clicks, destroying the frequency
for Rx.  I slid up to chastise him for the clicks, but when I got on
his frequency I could still hear the clicks- his station wasn't
generating them!  I went up another 4 KHz, and the offender was an S5
station occupying about 20KHz of spectrum with his key clicks!  His
station was only S6- if he could have channeled the power expended on
his clicks into his signal, he probably would have been S9.


On Sun, Feb 21, 2016 at 8:02 PM, Barry N1EU <barry.n1eu@gmail.com>
wrote:
Lastly, I have to say that I ended the weekend with a bad taste in my
mouth from the rampant key clicks on the band and the recurring
experience of having my clear run frequency eventually being
over-ridden by key clicking neighbors getting too close, over and over
and over again. I'm not sure if having the P3 panadapter is a good
thing or a bad thing, because it clearly shows the band filled with
wide key clicking signals. It's really sad that the ham radio
community has never come to grips with this solvable issue. It has
seriously spoiled cw contesting for me.
_______________________________________________
YCCC Reflector mailto:yccc@contesting.com Yankee Clipper Contest Club
http://www.yccc.org Reflector Info:
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/yccc

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--
George Wagner, K5KG
Sarasota, FL
941-400-1960

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