Ron Spencer wrote:
> In this past weekend's contest I ran into this several times. I'd tune
> the band, find a "seemingly" empty spot, listen and then send a quick ?.
> Quick so that if its in use I don't cause QRM for too long. Listen
> again and if no response a quick QRL? If no response I'd start CQing.
> Several times I followed that exact sequence only to have someone,
> presumably the previous "owner" of that spot call CQ after I'd CQ'd,
> sometimes, several times already. Again important to note absolutely NO
> response to my earlier requests if that spot was busy.
>
> Here is what I think is happening. Whomever was there was off working
> someone on the second radio. Only after I started to send CQ did they
Maybe but OTOH, I have had this happen to me when I was trying to
listen to a weak signal on a beverage and didn't hear the QRL at
first. Sometimes I may be listening for an entire minute without
transmitting if the other station is sending slowly, etc. It
may seem like the frequency is not busy, but it is.
I think if you find an "empty" frequency, you have to wait longer
to see if it is in use, and simply take the risk that you are
being an "enabler" for an SO2R station or the risk that the frequency
truly was empty, and someone else poaches it. (The well known
phenomenon where someone who is looking for a frequency hears your
QRL? and sends "YES" and starts CQ'ing.)
Rick N6RK
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UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
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