[CQ-Contest] Re: CQ Contest Digest V3 #44

[Doug Smith]

CQ Contest Digest wrote:
> hat on "intentional interference" is laughable.  Every contester
> "steals" a frequency in one form or another in  every contest...it's
> only a matter of degree.

I must say, if this were to somehow reflect the attitude of the majority
of contesters, I will be tempted to sell my HF gear & get into 2 meter
FM....  Luckily, it appears it doesn't.  I do note an apparent
geographic bias in the replies....

Does the missing area understand just how frustrating it is to work a DX
contest seriously from west of the Appalachians?  The high bands open an
hour or two later than they do for those further east -- the bottom of
the band is already full of W1/W2/W3 by the time you have any
propagation at all -- if you do find an apparently open hole, it
probably only appears to be open because it's being used by someone in
central Asia - or an East Coast station with an unusually good F/B
ratio.  

There's nothing unethical about that.  What's wrong is when you finally
do find a hole further up the band, and a W1/W2/W3 steals it.  It's
happened to me more than once in the past. (yes, I know damned well the
culprits could hear me, and yes, they were within 100Hz of my frequency
so I know I wasn't outside their passband)  It is EXTREMELY
frustrating.  What can you do about it, besides work the whole contest
S&P?  If the 150-watt power limit for the 15-meter Novice band still
exists when 10 drops out in a couple of years, I think I'll just ignore
it.  If it's OK for you to use intentional QRM to drive me out of
21.0-21.1 without risk of disqualification, then I guess it's OK for me
to ignore the FCC power limits.  
=============================================================================
I'm beginning to wonder, if we need to reconsider the wisdom of SO2R. 
I'm beginning to think a lot of the trouble we have in this area stems
from that.  It's a great test of ability (both operator and technical),
but it also puts a substantial extra load on the bands.  I'm not
convinced that, overall, SO2R has been a good thing.  
-- 
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://personal.bellsouth.net/~w9wi
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