Well said, Michael! You have covered both sides of this issue and this
should be the final word!
73 Art W2NRA
From: Michael Keane K1MK <k1mk@alum.mit.edu>
At 12:43 AM 9/26/06, Charles Morrison wrote:
> >From: Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604 <faunt@panix.com>
>
> >Maybe less ignorant ranting and more consideration on all sides would
> >make life more pleasant for all.
>
> >73, doug
>
>Perhaps the "ignorant ranting" wouldn't occur if the those who start the
>ranting would learn a little tolerance?
Band plans, including the IARU's, are not written in stone (or into
rule). To quote from the ARRL "white paper" on contesting best
practices (<http://www.arrl.org/contests/hf-faq.html>):
"5c) Band plans -- Band plans are just that - plans. They are
designed for normal circumstances when band loading is much lighter
than during a contest. During major contests, the bands will be very
crowded, resulting in conditions that the band plan is not intended
to address. Avoid willful interference and be as courteous as
possible to non-contest QSOs within the limits of the contest rules
and licensing regulations."
If everyone practiced courtesy and showed some tolerance would be
helpful, but that means taking into consideration that not every ham
and not every RTTY contester is aware of the IARU beacon network.
Just like not every beacon user will be aware of when major RTTY
contests are scheduled and that the IARU beacon network does not
enjoy the exclusive use of the frequencies on which it transmits.
No matter where it is decide to put beacons are on HF, this sort of
thing is going to happen at least a few times every year, if not in a
RTTY contest then in a CW contest or a phone contest. Interference
is bad and it should be avoided. But the bands still are shared and
no one owns a frequency. Stuff just happens.
Accepting that reality and moving on is a part of being considerate
and tolerant.
Each year there's a fresh supply of casual participants and new
contesters that get caught up in the excitement of a contest but who
may not have committed every detail of the HF band plans to memory.
And each year there's a new crop of propagation monitors who do not
appreciate that the IARU beacon network, while a good thing when
there's no activity, is not an absolutely protected resource. Both
sides do require continuing education to minimize conflicts.
Seeing complaints pop up after a major RTTY contest would not be
entirely unexpected. However, the same individuals complaining about
interference after each contest is not being considerate and
tolerant. That's an axe to grind and an agenda.
How long do we think KQ6XA had to sit on 14.100 monitoring with a
RTTY decoder to come up with her list of 17 calls? Nothing better to
do... like operate? Complaints are one thing, playing band plan
policewoman is something else.
73,
Mike K1MK
Michael Keane K1MK
k1mk@alum.mit.edu
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