[CQ-Contest] RE: QRPers calling off freq

[W0uo at cs.com]

The remarks by K0SR and KG5U are accurate and we all need to pay attention.

I did some QRP contesting a few years ago and learned that sometimes XIT + .1 or -.1 made the difference between making a QSO and not.  

As far as signing /QRP, I wouldn't advise it.  First it wastes time and second, who in the world cares? In a contest situation nobody will give the /QRP station any additional respect, nor should they.  Either you make the QSO or you don't. 

That being said, QRP contesting can certainly help improve your skills.  To be successful in QRP contesting, you need to pay attention to all aspects of your operation. 

As far as being on frequency goes, during the past few runs of 160 contests, doesn't matter whether ARRL, Stu Perry, or CQ, I've noticed a significant problem.  With so many stations crowded into such a small space, it often happens that a station calling off frequency is in the passband of a second, adjoining station rather than the intended one.  If the rythm is just right, the calling station thinks the he worked the intended station, and the adjoining station thinks he worked the calling station.  This happens to me ten or twenty times in a weekend. I've taken to asking for a fill just to be sure I've made the QSO.

I've also noticed on several occasions that when I hear a call off frequency and repeat the CQ, the station calls a second, and sometimes a third, time moving closer to my frequency each time. 

Perhaps we need an article in QST and/or CQ about how to know when you are on frequency.

73 de Jim
W0UO/5