On 9/28/2010 1:42 PM, Rsoifer@aol.com wrote:
I once went to Liechtenstein (HB0) for Field Day, camping.
To my dismay, two other hams from Germany had done the same thing.
We were 3 stations with less than 100 ft. separation between our antennas
Proximity to other contesters is a very big reason for using the best
possible rigs on both ends. I have contesting neighbors 0.3 miles from
me, two at three miles, four more in the 5-15 mile range. One of the
major reasons we all bought K3s was that we wouldn't be able to coexist
on the same band if we didn't. In fact, the one ringer who's still
causing us grief is an ICOM user. :)
Another big reason is the sheer density of stations in big contests.
Stations in JA have 15kHz on 160M for CW (and none for SSB). When the
band is open to JA (and it is for most 160 contests), every station
who's serious is jammed into that 15kHz. If you don't have a radio with
a bulletproof front end and IF, you're not going to work much, and if
you're generating a lot of trash, the guys on either side of you are
going to set up lynching parties.
73, Jim K9YC
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