[CQ-Contest] Packet Pileups -> Breaking Pileups

[John T. Laney, III]

I endorse Jeff's comments enthusiastically.  I also was forced to go
with a slight split a very few times when the callers were unable to
hear who I was working.  I also worked the edges of a pile up and worked
many S5 stations while being unable to identify big big signals in the
middle of the callers.  For the first time ever, shortly after the bands
returned from the silence brought on by the solar flare, I gave up on a
frequency in the lower part of the 21 mhz band and (with no
announcement, of course) found a frequency around 21097 to start over
on.  Then only time a staiton with a big signal is glad for a packet
spot is when the rate is very slow for some reason.  That is rare in a
contest such as CQWWCW.  I needed some more spots on 160 CW, but they
could have the detrimental effect that Jeff mentions.  

73, John, K4BAI/8P9HT, opr 8P9Z.

P.S.  This is probably a good time to apologize to all for my poor CW
sending in the latter part of the contest.  I was unable to get the cw
interface to work and had to send all cw by the paddle or with a few
memories in a memory keyer.  By the end of the 48 hour Marathon (then
having been awake about 62 hours with only a short break to replace a
failed amp and for a short shower), my sending at any speed was not what
I would have been proud of.  Thanks for putting up with me.


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