[CQ-Contest] CONTEST IDing

[k8cc]

At 08:09 PM 11/30/00 -0800, James B. Neiger wrote:

>FWIW DEPARTMENT:
>
>It's interesting to digest so many opinions as to how and when DX stations
>should ID.  Unfortunately, too many of the opinions are from those who most
>likely haven't had to figure it out, real time.
>
>When I started my DXpeditioning career 35 years ago, I attempted to follow
>the guidelines so aptly established by one we all admired, Katashi Nose,
>KH6IJ.  Nosey very effectively signed his call after EVERY contact, and this
>did THREE things:
>
>(1) I acknowledge the exchange and call you sent,
>
>(2) I am KH6IJ,
>
>(3) QRZ?

I'd say Jim hit the nail right on the head.

The problem galls me even more on SSB.  In CQWW SSB I encountered stations 
who would repeatedly call "QRZ?" multiple times in a row without giving 
their callsigns.  QRZ means "who is calling me?"  To call QRZ? without your 
callsign when nobody was calling you (evidenced by the multiple QRZs) makes 
no sense.  This seems to be a predominately South American operating technique.

If a contester calls QRZ just as I'm tuning by, I may call him or I might 
not (assuming that there was someone else in there).  If I do call him, I'm 
doing it blind if he doesn't identify at the end of the QSO, I still don't 
know his call, and if a pileup develops I have to fight thru again to 
ask.  This entire operating style is not very smart.

The contester running a pileup must continually adjust his style to 
maximize the rate.  Visualize what you sense the pileup needs and what the 
rate will accept.  I've done 250+ signing my call every QSO on SSB from the 
Caribbean.  Signing only every so often might improve this, but then I have 
to remember when I last identified.

Great ops like Nose get remembered for years.

73,


Dave/K8CC


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