[CQ-Contest] Re: How about 40M?

[Keith Kerr]

Steve,
Interested to read your post re 40m. I agree with all you 
said. A lot has been said about 40m in particular during 
CQWW SSB, though the same applies in most of the major SSB 
contests. 40m is, depending on your perspective, a 
hell-hole to be avoided as much as possible or a real 
challenge! A clear frequency may be defined as one where 
the S-meter just occasionally nudges below S9!
With respect to the issue of listening on your own 
frequency, as well as above 7150 (Eu perspective, of 
course) it is very noticable that, as the evening 
progresses and the opening to W/VE develops across Europe 
on 40m, things get tougher. Tougher because those stations 
who are able to run VE/W well enough just creep closer and 
closer..they don't care, they don't listen on their Tx QRG 
so they don't have a problem. The end game here is that the 
band is jammed with everyone listening up and nowhere for 
anyone to listen below 7100. If, in the meantime, they have 
succeded in running off the guy who was nearby, then they 
can listen on their TX QRG until it becomes impossible 
again, so they revert to only listening up....and so on. 
Messy..and no, I cannot think of a solution beyond giving 
us all 7000 - 7300....and even then......?!
Another observation/question. How do you guys in W/VE 
select a TX QRG on 40m? I am interested to know 'cos I 
suspect (in my more paranoid moments) that at least some 
seem to figure (correctly) that if an Eu station is 
listening up on say 7248, then that spot +/- 500Hz is 
pretty clear in Eu. Good place to call CQ! As I mentioned 
in an earlier post, almost anything will happen sometimes 
by chance. That's tough...this is a contest and activity is 
high. But I think it happens too often. I have no 
experience of operating 40m from the other side of the 
pond. Am I mistaken in my observation?

Keith GM4YXI (occasional 40m op @ GM7V/GZ7V)

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