[CQ-Contest] Self Spotting

[Cqtestk4xs at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/1/04 5:47:11 PM Greenwich Standard Time, barry at mxg.com 
writes:
Throwing money at towers and amps and multiple
radios so you can broadcast CQ 6 times a minute;
where's the operator skill therein?
  (Unless you have the additional hardware to
   operate SO2R, which I acknowledge really
   does require operator skill to broadcast
   and to listen simultaneously.)

Barry, W5GN
I don't know much about the business of packet, since I don't use it for my 
single op operations and have only used it a handfull of times when I had guest 
ops and we did multi-single.

I think you have the wrong idea about superstations.  I don't think K3LR, 
KC1XX or W3LPL are going to invite too many ops to their stations if they they 
never-endingly "broadcast CQ at 6 times a minute".  When the band is dead or 
dying, that may be the case.  However, I doubt they are doing that druing prime 
time.  If they do, I doubt they would be invited back.  

But, let's take a look at the "broadcast CQ".  What is really wrong with it?  
If the band is marginal, these stations act as beacons and can stir up 
interest in that band.  Granted to push F1 is not a high skill operation, but to 
pull those ESP sigs out of the mud is.

I have done the 6 CQs per minute on rather dead bands and have tried to pull 
the guys out of the mud who were ESP level...that requires as much skill as 
any S/P.  Having had hours of 100 while S/Ping I speak from experience

I and other big stations did not just "throw money at towers and amps".  We 
busted our asses in research, scavenging materials, and homebrewed lots of 
stuff.  That, takes lots of skill.  We then invested more in researching past 
scores to know where to put our efforts in a given contest.  That takes skill.

The bottom line is, you may not have a station which is capable of big runs, 
but you are happy to S/P.  Good for you.  I had a station which was not 
capable of big runs, but I didn't like it.  I prefer running more so I invested lots 
of time to build a station so I could run.

I am not knocking your skills because you S/P.  S/P is a necessary skill  for 
winning contests.  So is running.  Anybody can get behind a rig at a big 
station.  Only skilled ops can consistantly get 200 plus hours.  It takes 
skill...lots of it.

Bill K4XS