Fwd: [CQ-Contest] ROTTEN OPERATING

[Jim Rhodes]

You forgot my favorite.

ROTTEN OPERATING NO 4

The running station types a call wrong. Since he is the one holding the 
frequency, he could not possibly make an error. Anyway this seems to be the 
opinion of most of the replies to this thread. Well unless someone is out 
there using my call in the contest, there is no way that I could be a dupe 
in someone's log. S&P operators are not the only people to make errors.

I never have used a cluster in a contest. If a station doesn't ID at least 
every few Q's I move on, there are plenty of other stations to work. No 
sense in waiting for some alligator station (all mouth, no brain) to ID. If 
I call you it is because I do not have you in the log.

On the other hand there is a local that I cringe to see at field day. When 
he gets to operate he just tunes up & down a small section of the band and 
works about 3 or 4 stations. The same ones over and over again. Works them 
tuning up the band and works them tuning down the band. Does his own 
logging on paper. One year he kept working those same 3 stations right up 
through 28oo hrs according to his log. He won't even try to log on a 
computer, so I just throw the paper away. Luckily there aren't too many 
like him.

>From: "James Neiger" <n6tj at sbcglobal.net>
>To: <CQ-Contest at contesting.com>, "Bill Coleman" <aa4lr at arrl.net>
>Subject: [CQ-Contest] ROTTEN OPERATING
>Date: Sat, 29 Dec 2001 11:56:47 -0800
>X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400
>Sender: owner-cq-contest at contesting.com
>X-Mailing-List: cq-contest at contesting.com
>X-Sponsor: W4AN, KM3T, N5KO & AD1C
>
>
>AA4LR WROTE:
> > >
> > I wonder if the complaints about all the duplicate contacts come from
> > operators who give their call every 10 minutes or so (whether they need
> > to or not <grin>).
> >
>
>My response (long):
>
>THIS complaint about duplicate contacts is coming from an operator who has
>EARNED the reputation of signing his call TOO OFTEN.  Perhaps rightfully
>earned, as sometimes I  resort to signing after every QSO.  I've tried to
>emulate my friend and hero KH6IJ is this regard:
>
>When done in a predictable sense, it tells the worked station, and pileup,
>three things:
>
>           (1) I QSL your transmission of my
>                 report and your call sign,
>
>            (2) It tells the pileup WHO I am,
>
>            (3) It tells the pileup I'm NOW
>                  READY for the next callers.
>
>It's amazing how effective  this can be, and with a short, fast call (like
>ZD8Z) I've been able to sustain CW rates of 230 - 250/hour.  I wouldn't
>necessarily recommend it, for obvious reasons, if your call is, for
>instance, C56/DL0XXX.
>
>And now back to the point:  WHY are guys duping me?
>
>   Simply stated, and to paraphrase KH6IJ, it emanates, predominantly from
>what I call ROTTEN OPERATING.
>
>ROTTEN OPERATING NO. 1
>
>Too many stations are relying STRICTLY on packet for identification of the
>station running the pileup.  And it's amazing (and scary) how these packet
>spots are propagating BUSTED CALLS.  I perceive that there must be some
>hidden glory to being the first in your neighborhood  to spot a station on
>packet, whether you've  copied the call correctly, or not.  And, by
>examination of my UBN reports, and even though my computer  accurately sends
>ZD8Z everytime, and with perhaps a half million ZD8Z QSO's under my belt
>since 1968 (i.e., it should not be exactly an "unknown call"),  guys are
>working me as ZD7Z, ZD9Z (dream-on), ZD8ZZ, 2D8Z, ZZ8Z,  etc.  Now, if they
>earlier, or later, work me as ZD8Z, they think they have at least another
>QSO (and maybe a new multiplier).  What do I have?  A DUPE!
>
>ROTTEN OPERATING NO. 2
>
>Some operators JUST DON'T CARE and are inherently sloppy.  During the
>pileups from Brazil in WW SSB and Ascension in WW CW, when plagued by a
>sudden spurt of dupes (thinking perhaps I was a victim of R.O. NO. 1,
>above), I took the time to stop the pileup, and asked the offending station,
>"just whom do you think you're calling?"  (that's allot of fun on CW), or
>"what do you think my call is?", and it was absolutely amazing to me HOW
>MANY guys (at least honestly), confessed that they had NO IDEA who I was.
>Wonderful!  Result: DUPE for both of us.
>
>ROTTEN OPERATING NO. 3
>
>Although not exactly pertinent to the subject at hand, but certainly endemic
>to the IMPATIENCE of operators today, (besides, I'm on a roll here), one of
>the scourges of CW contesting is those who plop their big, er, posteriors
>right on top of a station I'm trying to copy, and send a "?".  Really
>helpful to all, guys.  May I respectfully suggest you QRX a second, LISTEN
>(remember when we used to do that?), and then you actually might learn
>what's going on, on the frequency, before you impress us all with your
>obvious skills?
>
>REAL PROGRESS DEPARTMENT
>
>Last month, a major improvement ( a 95% European phenomenon) in stations NOT
>ASKING WHAT MY QSL ROUTE IS, during a contest.  Either they all now have
>Ascension Island confirmed, or, they're starting to "get it". A definitely
>positive sign, in either regard.
>
>Now if we can just throw a rope around R.O.'s 1 -3, we can make real
>progress in the reduction of dupes and the enjoyment of contesting.
>
>Thank you for reading this far, or, ..........
>
>
>Vy 73, and Happy Contesting in 2002,
>
>
>Jim Neiger
>N6TJ/ZD8Z
>
>
>--
>CQ-Contest on WWW: http://lists.contesting.com/_cq-contest/
>Administrative requests: cq-contest-REQUEST at contesting.com

Jim Rhodes K0XU
jim at rhodesend.net


--
CQ-Contest on WWW: http://lists.contesting.com/_cq-contest/
Administrative requests: cq-contest-REQUEST at contesting.com