[CQ-Contest] Running vs SP (Was Self Spotting)

[Doug Smith W9WI]

On Fri, 2004-04-02 at 07:00, Barry N1EU wrote:
> turnover of the 
> run frequencies to encourage SP'ers to tune the bands on a more frequent 
> basis.

While not wishing to wade into this debate, I wonder whether this is
something that will come to a head over the next few years?  

Something fundamental has changed since the last sunspot minimum: SO2R. 
It used to be that when you (a single-operator station) decided you
needed to go trolling for mults, you had to stop CQing.  That freed the
frequency you'd been running on for someone else's use.  

If you're SO2R, you *don't* have to stop running in order to go
mult-hunting - that frequency *doesn't* get returned to the available
pool.

It's kinda hard to observe on the lower bands, which were generally
crowded to the hilt even before SO2R.  10 meters, however, is wide
enough to accomodate everyone who wishes to CQ.  In the last few
contests where propagation on 10 was good, we've observed record high
frequencies in use - I recall people running with good rate well above
28200KHz on CW

Might that be part of the basis for arguments for shorter contests? 
It's hard enough to stay awake when you're working people.  It must be
far more difficult when there's no open spot to call CQ, and everyone
CQing is a dupe.  

This is not a plea for action - only an observation...
-- 
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN  EM66
http://www.w9wi.com