[CQ-Contest] 40 meter SSB Contest musings

[Jeff Maass]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of Richard DiDonna
> NN3W
> Sent: Monday, March 28, 2005 10:59 PM
> To: N4XM Paul D. Schrader; CQ Contest
> Cc: David Thompson
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] 40 meter SSB Contest musings
> 
> For now, its a universal problem on 40.  I spent a lot 
> of time on Saturday night during ARRL DX and you could 
> tell that the DX stations were having to cluster their 
> listening freqs away from the BCI.  I would find a lot 
> of stations listening on the same freq or within 0.50 
> Kc of each other.  There was a huge cluster of folks 
> listening from 7288 to 7292 which must be a clear 
> frequency range in Europe.
> 
> Others were listening around 7210 to 7213.
> 
> With 0.5 Kc spacing on receive, I think most folks 
> could tell whose Qs were whose.  But certainly there 
> was some overlap.
> 
> 73 Rich NN3W
>

As one of the ops at the PJ2T Multi/2 operations for the
past two ARRL SSB Contests, I spent a lot of time on 40
meters operating split. We made 1665 QSOs on that band
this year.

I run hot and cold on operating on 40 meter phone, and
arrived at Signal Point for the ARRL Phone Contest this
year declaring that I would do anything *except* operate
on 40 meters. My ears were still ringing from the 
broadcast inerference in the 2004 contest! I'd much 
rather "eat static" for hours on 160 meters at 12
degrees latitude!

Finding a 40m receive frequency is a never-ending game
of bob-and-weave. A good frequency has a short half-life,
as broadcasters and other QRM pops up.

We didn't have a lot of problems with another DX station 
selecting the same open spot in which to listen, and
when it happened it was obvious from the timing of
the responses being "out-of-synch" with our transmissions.
I even changed my rhythm of calling to confirm that 
situation once. It helps that we are fairly loud in the
USA and Canada, in that those calling us were far less 
likely to call "out-of-synch" themselves.

In a few cases where someone else began listening on
the same frequency that I had been using for a while
(more than 15 minutes), I just popped the transmitter 
up to the receive frequency and announced that the 
frequency was in use, and gave my call. The other 
station chose another spot. (The Europeans don't have 
the ability to do the same, but you use what the rules
allow!)

73,

Jeff Maass  K8ND