[CQ-Contest] Poor QualitySignals

[Scott Nichols]

I agree with Tom...If I have clicks, distortion, splatter or whatever, I 
would appreciate being told about it...I use a 1000MP  and have had only 
one instance in 3 years where someone told me my signal (SSB in this 
case) was being heard "all over the band"...This bozo went on the DX 
cluster and started flaming me about it...Turns out it wasn't me, but a 
EU station up a couple KC's from me...So, with no credible negative 
feedback, I have to assume that my signal is OK...If it's not, tell me 
(hopefully some other way besides 3 nasty spots on the DX Cluster in the 
middle of a contest) Mention it after our QSO, during the QSO or an 
email or whenever...You won't hurt my feelings...I'll thank you...Makes 
me think I should invest in a scope...

Bandwidth is scarce, we don't need clicks, or 10 kc wide SSB sigs 
stealing more of it...

73, CU (hopefully narrowly) this weekend...

Scott VE1OP

Tom Horton wrote:

> Contesters,
>  I continue to be appalled at the quality of signals from some of the 
> contest stations
> we work in most every contest. It's not just the little guys but some 
> of the biggest guns!
>  I agree that we should start applying peer pressure on these guys. 
> Has anyone noticed
> after all the comments about not identifying often enough how many 
> guys are doing it
> much better these days I sure have!
>  I don't know why some of the folks...lots of times the big guys... 
> just don't care.
>  I think peer pressure is the best possible way to cure this excess 
> splatter, distortion,
> clicks, chirp and recently I even heard one US CW signal that was just 
> so bad you could not detect a tone !
>  Truthfully,though, sometimes the problem is just ignorance of the 
> operator. This can be seen (hopefully)
> by hearing some of the big guns out of the bands (too close to the 
> edge and spilling over) at times.
>  I think this PC( political correctness) stuff and not wanting to hurt 
> feelings has gone far enough!
> We should police ourselves the way we used to !  It's time to quit 
> making excuses and trying to
> bend things to suit ourselves and do it the right way. The honest and 
> ethical way! Why have we gone so
> far off course?
> I quite often tell someone their audio is bad, and typically the reply 
> is "CQ-CONTEST".
> I was told once that I had a problem and fixed a situation I didn't 
> know I had. (tks K4XU).
> As far as the CW, I have an old MP, and no one has ever told me it has 
> Clicks.
> If it does, I want to know. I want to know anytime my signal is not 
> right.
>  I don't know why some of the folks...lots of times the big guys... 
> just don't care.
> I think peer pressure is the best possible way to cure this excess 
> splatter, distortion,
> clicks, chirp and such. Recently I even heard one US CW signal that 
> was just so bad
> you could not detect a tone !
>  I think this PC( political correctness) stuff and not wanting to hurt 
> feelings has gone far enough!
> We should police ourselves the way we used to!
>  Regarding the signal report to give on CW for clicks...599K is the 
> correct one and 599C for chirps.
> It won't fit your logging program nor his (or mine). But he should 
> soon figure that out. What you (we)
> can do in our logs is a simple ALT N or whatever in the log and make a 
> quick note of it.
>  This needs to apply to all contesters, not just the US stations, but 
> that should probably be our
> main focus. These things need desparately to be conveyed to many South 
> American and
> European stations as well. Have you noticed that this rarely applies 
> to the Japanese stations?
>  I plan to start collecting data this weekend!
> One thing to be careful of however. Before you ding someone...MAKE 
> SURE YOUR NOISE BLANKER
> IS OFF!!!!!!
> If my signal is bad TELL ME!!!!!
>
> Flame away... I'm a big boy..I can take it!
> 73,
> Tom K5IID