Accused of splatter (fwd)

[Ronald D. Klein]

Forwarded message:
> From root Sat Apr 24 09:04:09 1993
> Date: 24 Apr 93 10:42:39 EDT
> From: 71034.3544 at CompuServe.COM (Wayne Wright)
> To: cq-contest at TGV.COM (Contest BBS)
> Subject: Accused of splatter
> Message-Id: <930424144239_71034.3544_CHJ57-1 at CompuServe.COM>
> 
> What do you do when, after at least 10 minutes on a frequency, a
> voice comes back to your CQ and says "W5XD you're 10 K C wide!"?
> I'm sure this is old hat for you big guns, but this can take a lot
> of the fun out of contesting real quick for me.
> 
> In one case I was about 5 KHz below a net on 20m when it started up, and,
> according to my accuser, the net coudn't be conducted with me there.
> I kept up for a few more minutes, but a second station appeared with
> the same sort of accusation--in both cases they were trying to be 
> polite, but lots of folks explode when I suggest the problem is on
> their end. I asked how he measured this, and he said he was running
> a TenTec Paragon. (I run a TenTec Omni V.) Anyway, I moved.
> 
> Afterwards I got a clean rating, both from a trustworthy local ham,
> and from a borrowed HP spectrum analyzer. Forgotten the numbers, 
> but I think the line was about 70 dB down from the peak into a
> 1 KHz IF by 5 KHz away--all using a rubber ducky plugged into the
> spectrum analyzer. Any RF guys know if that test setup has any
> validity? I know a calibrated measurement would require a calibrated
> 1500W attenuator, but I didn't have one nor would I trust myself
> to design and build one and plug into a $20K instrument I don't own.
> 
> In these cases I was running a homebrew 8877 at 1500W out.
> And I always have the old SB-610 monitor scope on line.
> And I have NEVER had any problem like this on CW--just SSB.
> 
> 	Wayne, W5XD
> 
Sounds like a classic case of front end overload to me. IF they are being 
polite - which is not always the case - I would ask them if they have tried 
inserting their RF attenuator - or cranking the RF gain down. If they are NOT 
polite - like the guy who monologued on top of my buddy during our weekly 40 
meter schedule about how they had been using the frequency for years, and how 
is it I could be so rude as to be within 2 Kc of THEIR net frequency - then, 
it's time to hit the transmit button on the voice keyer and continue to work 
the contest! I handled the net jerk by suggesting that those who had the ink 
still wet on their license as he apparently did must have received frequency 
ownership with their new tickets, but since I had been licensed a lot longer 
that I was not required to honor such wet ink ticket "privileges". Then, I 
turned on the kilowatt and we completed our schedule.

Was my response rude? Perhaps! But, when a true jerk acts like he owns the 
frequency, deliberately qrm's a qso, etc.... what is a nice guy to do but flip 
on the dark side of the personality and put his linear to use?

Oh, for the good old days when hams were polite!

Ron - W0OSK