[CQ-Contest] Packet Pileups -> Breaking Pileups

Barry Merrill w5gn at mxg.com
Sun Dec 3 15:14:02 EST 2000


It seems to me that those operators who are 
anti-packet because of concern about cheating
by others has to do with cheating and not
packet; those that want to cheat will find a way.
And further, "cheating" with packet only impacts 
those few who expect/think/want to win. 

And as for the deluge when you are spotted,
that early group tends to be the multi-single
and multi-multi ops with power, antenna, and
competitive operators using somebody else's 
hardware and callsign, monitoring every new
packet spot because they've worked the others.
Few new operators are in that first wave; they
are still at the bottom of some other pileup
from an earlier spot.

As for the lack on operator skill, I think that is
one of the biggest advantage of packet: education.
Especially so for the new and/or casual operator,
who may not be interested in winning (yet!), and 
who may not even submit a score. For them, being
able to know what station is where and when is a 
great tool for their learning, as they discover when
their station can and cannot be heard, and what band
is open to where when. That propagation education and
frequency usage used to take many hours of tuning and
listening in many contests, with packet, it's visible 
in the flow of spots at any point in the contest period.

Even more important, I think packet is absolutely
essential in the "country-oriented" contests, like
OK, RSGB, SAC, etc. tests for all operators, new
and old.  I'm not going to give up a weekend for
every contest nor actually compete in those contests
for score, but I am going to support contesting
in general by making QSOs with the serious contestors
from that country in their contest. Packet spots
let me do that in minimum time with minimum impact 
on other interests. And I get a check-out of my station
in each of those pile-ups for spots so  I will do better
when I do enter a contest seriously.  If I have time,
I will go out of my way to scan the entire band that
is open and spot every in-country contestor, beliving 
that I'm helping new contestors to find stations so
they will become more skilled and keep their interest
in contesting. While their skills may still be imperfect,
those operators QSOing from spots still make lots of
valid QSOs for all the "real" contestors.


Barry, W5GN


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>From Leigh S. Jones" <kr6x at kr6x.com  Sun Dec  3 17:23:37 2000
From: Leigh S. Jones" <kr6x at kr6x.com (Leigh S. Jones)
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2000 09:23:37 -0800
Subject: [CQ-Contest] 160 DX window?
References: <Pine.LNX.4.20.0012021752580.2679-100000 at tabby.cooldude.com>
Message-ID: <195f01c05d4d$c64b6a30$ede3c23f at kr6x.org>


Contrary to what has been written by W0JOE, the ARRL bandplan shows 1830 to
1850 "for intercontinental QSOS only", with 1830 to 1840 reserved for CW,
RTTY, and other narrowband modes.

Of course, to initiate an intercontinental QSO in the window, someone must
call CQ in the window.  The ARRL doesn't stipulate in the bandplan who is to
call CQ.  If K1AR calls CQ in the window, KV4FZ is not allowed to answer him
(that's a joke son).

The ARRL, being in New England, doesn't anticipate the need for a "DX
Window" for any country in which the operators are not allowed to use 1830
to 1850.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Joe" <w0joe at tabby.cooldude.com>
To: <KI9A at aol.com>
Cc: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, December 02, 2000 3:54 PM
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] 160 DX window?


>
> On Sat, 2 Dec 2000 KI9A at aol.com wrote:
>
> > Where exactly is the 160 window? During the contest yesterday, I was at
1839
> > calling CQ & got a nasty email from someone...isnt it 1830-1835?
>
> The ARRL band plan shows that 1830-1840 is for Intercontinental QSOs only.
>
> http://www.remote.arrl.org/field/regulations/bandplan.html#160m
>
> 73, W0JOE
>
>
>
>
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>


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>From OK1FUA (OL5Y) Martin Huml" <OL5Y at contesting.com  Sun Dec  3 20:07:09 2000
From: OK1FUA (OL5Y) Martin Huml" <OL5Y at contesting.com (OK1FUA (OL5Y) Martin Huml)
Date: Sun, 3 Dec 2000 21:07:09 +0100
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Multipliers of Assisted and UN-Assisted
Message-ID: <10879.001203 at contesting.com>


I have just returned from my trip to Pantelleria Island (IH9P). Many
thanks to everyone who gave me points and called me! And also for
patience because of huge pileups. It was big adventure, because we had
small traffic accident on the way there and we had big problems to get
spare part for the car. We had to spend on Sicily 5 days more than we
expected. But thanks to Sicilian guys and especially Joe, IT9BLB,
finally everything came right.      

I am looking at the 3830 Score/Breakdowns rumors and I'm very sad.
I can't understand, why I made so poor result in multipliers in
comparison with other top scoring stations in my category (SO SB 40 HP
- Unassisted), although I was only in multiplier-place (African Italy)
and I spent 8 hours and 20 minutes to search & pounce (of the 40 hours
of operating time).     
Please, lets look with me at the rumors:
Those stations are top scoring in their categories and USE help of DX
Cluster, service of multi-operators and most of them are very well
equipped. The "multi-banders" can also ask multipliers for QSYing.  
J3A     32/112 (M/M)
OH2U    38/141 (M/M)
YV4A    26/ 93 (M/M)
DF0HQ   36/136 (M/M)
4U1VIC  22/ 78 (M/M)
SK3W    35/127 (M/S)
F5IN    31/110 (M/S)
OE2S    34/123 (M/S)
OM7M    36/128 (M/S)
GJ2A    23/ 96 (M/S)
SV/OK1YM        34/112 (SO 40m Assisted)
YL8M (YL2KL)    30/107 (SO AB Assisted)

And those are in Unassisted category (= without DX cluster and help of others)
YT7A (YU7GO)    37/132
LY7Z (LY2TA)    37/137
LA6YEA          35/128

Congratulations to these fantastic operators!!! My hat down!!! It is
unbelievable for me and now I know I must be doing something wrong -
I am still poor operator or maybe I don't understand to the rules of the
contest totally.   

I will appreciate very much opinions or advice of other contesters.


PS - My score:
IH9P  --  3133 QSOs, 30 Zones, 117 Countries  --  1,271,697 total
Rig: IC-756, Acom 2000
Ant: 4-Square, dipole @ 17m, vertical 25m


73!

Martin Huml
OK1FUA, in the contests: OL5Y, IH9/OL5Y, IH9P, S586U (WRTC 2000)
OL5Y at contesting.com
Contest Team Pantelleria - IH9P - CQWWDX SSB MULTI/MULTI
http://www.qsl.net/ih9p/



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