[CQ-Contest] Behavior of U.S. M/M's in CQ WW

Wed Nov 1 11:05:22 EST 2000

Certainly, everyone should work and log everything that calls
them...usually even dupes.  Unfortunately, some operators, especially at
multi's are not too savvy abou the rules and etiquette.  I would say this
problem is one of an uneducated operator at the multi rather than it being
"station policy".

Multi's are usually not so busy that they cant work a few stateside
guys...you need to anyway for the zones.  They'd probably prefer if you
didnt call in the middle of a high rate run tho...  If I'm running EU for
example and have a small pileup, I will purposely call any EU's before I
answer a US station.

73, Ty K3MM

                    Bill Coleman                                                                   
                    <aa4lr at arrl.net>             To:     "Nat Heatwole" <heatwole at clark.net>,      
                    Sent by:                     <cq-contest at contesting.com>                       
                    owner-cq-contest at cont        cc:                                               
                    esting.com                   Subject:     Re: [CQ-Contest] Behavior of U.S.    
                                                 M/M's in CQ WW                                    

                    10/31/2000 06:08 PM                                                            

On 10/31/00 15:27, Nat Heatwole at heatwole at clark.net wrote:

>I didn't yet have the Zone 5 mult (this particular M/M's zone) or the USA
>mult so I thought I would work him for the quick and easy double mult. I
>dumped my call in after he finished a CQ and his response was the
following:
>
>"WZ3AR, sorry, we can't work stateside in this one, I won't put you in the
>log, ok?"
>
>Translation: "I already have Zone 5 on this band so working you would
yield
>ME no points, so go away". Why on earth would this M/M chose to do this?

Doesn't make sense. Seems like it would be easier to work you and get on
with life than to sit around on the frequency and argue about the merits
of doing so.

At NQ4I, Rick's policy is to work and log everything. That means
stateside, that means duplicates. (In the first couple of hours on 20m,
we had logged about 10 duplicates - sheesh!)

The only rationale I can think of is that working one stateside station
may "open the door" to a flood of stateside calls, cutting into the time
they could be working DX. I don't agree.

>Is this the common policy of all M/M's: don't work anyone in a US zone
after
>you already have worked that mult on that band?

It isn't the policy at NQ4I. I know I worked W3LPL during the day for the
40m USA multiplier and didn't get any complaints. (Although I hope he
logged us)

>That seams very selfish to
>me, and it certainly doesn't promote the idea of bringing new people into
>contesting.

Agreed.

A couple of years ago, I worked CQ WW CW and made a handful of contacts
(like 25, if I remember). When I got the UBN report, I was shocked to
find a 60% score reduction. Once you got past my obvious copying errors,
one problem was that several USA stations I had worked for the multiplier
hadn't logged me. Naturally, it didn't count for them, but it did count
for me.

I think this is more insidious than not working you in the first place.
After all, you did work the contact, they just didn't log it. It didn't
cost them anything, yet you got slapped with a NIL and the resulting
penalties.

It makes me wonder if certain stations or clubs have a policy of not
logging zero point contacts just so they can reduce everyone else's
scores somewhat.

>What should I have done to get the QSO/mults?

You did the right thing. Especially if there was no evident rate involved.

>Should I have told
>him that I had gotten a late start and didn't have 05 yet?

Begging for the mult might have helped.

>Would he then
>have worked me? Could I have done anything?

Maybe. But if someone is all determined not to work you, they won't.

>What should be the policy of M/M
>'s in CQ WW?

I think that anyone calling CQ should answer and log anyone calling from
anywhere. (this goes for M/S operators calling CQ on he mult station) I
also think that if the judges discover an inordinate number of NILs from
people claiming contact with a certain station, they should DQ that
station as being unsportsmanlike.

But, who cares what I think, I'm not a contest judge.

Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901

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