[CQ-Contest] Re: Bad practices identified

[VR2BrettGraham]

K4BEV quite rightly said:

  I'm S&P and find an "open" frequency. QRL? QRL? QRL? K4BEV.......NO
  response.  Run 2 or 3 and am suddenly informed that "This is MY
  frequency = QSY!"

  <snip>

  IMHO if you leave and comeback to an empty frequency you're having a
  really fb day. If you comeback and the freq is in use its time to go looking
  again.

And W7TI chipped in:

  I say when a station QSYs he immediately relinquishes the frequency. If a
  second station finds the empty spot and calls CQ one time, it's his.

I'll assume Bill hasn't deliberately left the QRL? bit out.  I have hard enough
time holding a run frequency _without_ going off somewhere to work a
mult.  Something that is increasingly happening to me is someone sending
a ? followed by a CQ so soon that I haven't time to reach for the paddles
to say the frequency is in use & could the station you just QRM'd please
send my report again.  Arrrgh!

Like K4BEV, I'll ask two & often three times if a frequency is QRL -
listening for either confirmation that it is or for weak signals to indicate
that it might be - before setting up shop.  It's simple common courtesy & is
the kind of sportsmanlike behavior that we should all expect & exhibit
ourselves.  The SO2R guy who ignores or doesn't respond to a reasonable
query on what he considers his run frequency is merely demonstrating he's
not up to that standard & should consider giving the second rig a miss.

And this isn't simply an SO2R issue - while bad SO2R ops make this
painfully obvious, the root problem applies to all categories.  This is
radiosport, not war.

73, VR2BrettGraham


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