[CQ-Contest] What's happened to DE ???

[tgstewart at pepco.com]

22, 2000) at
  02/25/2001 11:05:55 AM
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Why use DE?  If you can copy the code 100%, there should be no confusion
who is calling CQ!  It's a useless waste of time in a contest...we've even
convinced a lot of the RTTY guys to give it up although some older versions
of software key off it to grab the callsign!

Another thing that's a waste of time and sometimes a source of confusion is
sending a K at the end of a CQ.  ...does the K belong on the end of the
call or not?  That's why I never send K at the end of a CQ, preferring to
use a fast TEST or nothing at all.  This causes little confusion and as
long as it's done quickly with minimal spacing after the callsign, you dont
catch many guys sending early.  If you've got a pileup it also tends to
spread them out just a bit. I suspect that's why people were calling WP2Z
early... they probably didn't realize he had not finished sending.  Dave
was probably running NA :) and it's got some pretty pregnant pauses between
words if you dont doctor up the messages.

Later in the contest, use all that time you saved to slow down your overall
code speed and get the slower guys to call you!  I'm constantly amazed at
how many stations will call CQ endlessly at 40 wpm with no answers.  If
they slowed down to 20, they'd probably work twice as many guys at the end
of the contest.

One of the games I sometimes play when things get really slow at a multi is
knocking down the code speed by 2 wpm every time I dont get an answer back
(well at least for a few times!).  Then when I work someone I go back up 4
wpm or close to original speed.

The exact same strategy works on phone!  When things get slow, talk slower
and more casually....it really, really works.  Work a VHF contest sometime
and you'll get REAL good at this!  You've got to figure out who your
audience is and cater to them!

73, Ty K3MM




                     k8cc 

                     <k8cc at mediaone.net>          To:     "Tim Makins, 
EI8IC" <ei8ic at eircom.net>,
                     Sent by:                     "CQ Contest" 
<CQ-Contest at contesting.com>
                     owner-cq-contest at cont        cc: 

                     esting.com                   Subject:     Re: 
[CQ-Contest] Whats happened to
                                                  DE 
???

                     02/25/2001 12:20 
AM







At 10:09 PM 2/21/01 +0000, Tim Makins,  EI8IC wrote:
  >I had an enjoyable 1440 Q's in the recent ARRL DX CW. A few of you might
  >have wondered why I was sending AGN just after you've called me - the
reason
  >was the almost total lack of DE from US operators. This, coupled with a
  >lightening reply, left me missing the first one or two dots/dashes from
your
  >call....

The real problem here is that people are simply starting to send too soon
before you're back into receive.  This is truly a pet peeve with me, and
I've had to suppress the urge to write a letter to QST or include some
nasty comment in my contest soapbox.

I had one station call me last year in CW SS and THREE times I could not
get the first letter of his call, so I finally sent "NO QSK HR DAMMIT" and
he got the message.

This past weekend I was at WP2Z for ARRL DX CW, and set up the rig for
computer-controlled radio T/R switching with NO delay on the canned
messages (ex: CQ/QRZ).  I *STILL* occasionally had people calling so fast
that I could not get the first letter.

Folks, it might seem obvious but if I'm not listening then I can't hear
you.  THINK!!  Don't be so quick on the F4 key or to send your call.  The
time you save is more than lost when I have to get a fill.

73,


Dave/K8CC


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