[CQ-Contest] Endless CQing

[Tree]

Ragnar, LA5HE comments:

> This weekend 160 m is ruined by ssb contest. Here in Europe tha band was full
> of stations calling CQ for long periods without a QSO !  What a waste of time
> and spectrum, not to mention CW DX opportunities lost!

Sigh - this is one of my pet peeves about 160 meter contests in general...  The
small amount of space is used up by stations calling about 10 CQs per QSO (or
even more) per QSO.  However, this is the way to make the best score...  be 
loud and keep the duty cycle up.

There are times that I often dream for some way to reward the act of tuning 
around and finding a station to call.  In the Sprints, you get rewarded for 
that by getting the frequency - even if it is just for one QSO.  However, I
can already hear the tons of flame mail against that concept.

I typically get on for the CQ 160 SSB contest and try to encourage activity 
up the band.  However, it seems strange that I can't have a chance in the
prime part of the band - because someone just has to occupy it to work another
15 guys in an hour.  If I am fresh meat and have a rate over 100/hour - isn't
that better than someone hogging a frequency so they can work 15?  Does anyone
calling CQ contest and not getting answers really own the frequency?

How about a rule where if someone calls 20 CQs in a row without an answer, he
has to go somewhere else?  It just seems a terrible waste of spectrum.  Or 
how about this...  if you answer someone's CQ - you get double the QSO points
for that?  

Oh yeah - maybe nodoby will call CQ then...  maybe we can use BaconNet or 
something to fix that.

This year, I just didn't bother getting on.  It just didn't seem worth the 
trouble.

73 Tree N6TR
tree at kkn.net