DX Cluster in contests

[Marijan Miletic]

Although our distinguished moderator asked for a change of subject, I feel free
to add few thoughts as a sole non-USA participant.  My limited expierence on
dull DX scene during WRTC with only 100 countries available surely supports
need for packet spoting.  Even recent WAE contest which permits use of DX
Cluster for everybody, would be even more boring with <40 countries per band!
The only DX runs left for EU are W's.  Fortunately we heard JA on 10m after a
two years pause.  It was nice to work many WRTC friends and get QRQ QTC from
them.  I am surprised that 4 loud S5 stations S50a, 0R, 8A and 9AA do not get
mentioned along other West EU booming signals.  We might develop "New England"
syndrome here!

73 de Mario, S56A, NH7/N1YU.

P.S.  Please find attached my 30 hours modest WAE score just for a fun.

SCORE 11-Aug-1996 S56A 
WAEDC  CW  SINGLE OP. 

 Band  QSOs Pnts Mult 
-----------------------
  80M    12   12    4
  40M   108  108   22
  20M   278  278   34
  15M    72   72   23
  10M    22   22    9
-----------------------
  All   502   492 214

  QTC : 774

TOTAL : 270.924 Points


Rig : IC-735 + SB-221
Ant : TH6DXX + 402BA + 78m Windom

Comment:  Beter CONDX than expected!

73 de Mario, S56A, NH7/N1YU.


>From n4zr at contesting.com (Pete Smith)  Wed Aug 14 12:29:25 1996
From: n4zr at contesting.com (Pete Smith) (Pete Smith)
Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 04:29:25 -0700
Subject: Interference
Message-ID: <199608141129.EAA15880 at dfw-ix3.ix.netcom.com>

Now THIS is what I call responsive!  In addition, one of their engineers
called me today for more details, and to verify that the interference was
not being heard today (it wasn't).   Loud applause to Radio Canada
International. 


>Return-Path: <gtheoret at montreal.src.ca>
>Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 09:02:34 -0400
>X-Sender: gtmtl030 at internet.tor.cbc.ca
>To: Pete Smith <n4zr at contesting.com>
>From: gtheoret at montreal.src.ca (Gerald Theoret)
>Subject: Re: Interference
>
>>Today, between 1700 and 1800Z, a number of U.S. amateur radio operators
>>noted a very loud spurious signal, appearing to consist of heavily distorted
>>speech, occupying a band of approximately 50 kHz centered at approximately
>>14040 kHz, in the 20-meter amateur band.  Amateurs in the Washington, D.C.
>>area noted that the signal appeared to be coming from the Northeast, with
>>some fading.
>>
>>Using shortwave receivers, we found a Radio Canada International broadcast
>>on 15325 kHz in a slavic language (Russian?) which was apparently the source
>>of the interference, since the speech peaks coincided and when the RCI
>>broadcast switched to music the interfering signal also changed to a
>>music-like tempo.  At 1800Z, the RCI broadcast signed off in English on that
>>frequency, and when the transmission ceased the interference on 20 meters
>>disappeared.
>>
>>M. Theoret, your name and e-mail address were given to me by a friend at
>>USIA, who in turn got it from a telephone operator at your headquarters.  If
>>you are not the right person to be receiving such a report, I would
>>appreciate your redirecting it to the right person.  If I can provide any
>>further details, I would be happy to do so -- I can be reached by telephone
>>at 304/728-8454, or by e-mail at n4zr at contesting.com.
>>
>>Thank you for your attention to this problem.
>>
>>Sincerely,
>>
>>
>>Peter G. Smith N4ZR 
>>
>>
>==================================================================
>Dear Mr Smith,
>
>Thanks for your message.
>
>We will verify what went wrong whith our 15 MHz European antenna.
>
>Please let me know if you notify the same problem again!
>
>Regards
>
>Gerald Theoret   
>Frequency Manager
>RCI
>
>Internet: gtheoret at montreal.src.ca
>
>
>
73, Pete Smith N4ZR
n4zr at contesting.com 
LOUDER is gooder....