[CQ-Contest] Packet Cluster Practices

[Joe Subich, W4TV]

Some people are "fortunate" to be able to use their shacks 
for other things (like "real" work) and can't be tuning the 
bands constantly ... or like to be able to spend time with 
a family and still know if something "rare" shows up.  The 
constant crap about not being able to hear, or being upset 
because the station is working another band/mode/part of the 
world is completely unnecessary. 

As to your question, "How did we every work a rare one 25 years 
ago without packet?"  Quite simply, friends called friends on 
the telephone (anyone remember "one ringers" at 2 AM?) or used 
the local VHF "intercom" frequency.  Some areas even went to 
the extent of using PLL or DTMF "all calls" to allow muting 
all the chatter and still alerting when a "rare" one came 
up. 

Bottom line ... act like a gentleman and don't yell "FIRE!" 
in the theater. 

73, 

   ... Joe, W4TV 

  

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com 
> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of w0mu
> Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 11:23 AM
> To: 'Cq-Contest'
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Packet Cluster Practices
> 
> 
> Then don't use the cluster and listen for the station 
> yourself.  If everyone waited for their alarms to go off, 
> nobody would be tuning the bands.  How did we ever work a 
> rare one 25 yrs ago with out packet....
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joe Subich, W4TV [mailto:k4ik at subich.com] 
> Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 8:27 AM
> To: 'w0mu'; 'Cq-Contest'
> Subject: RE: [CQ-Contest] Packet Cluster Practices
> 
> 
> "Can't hear them," "Where are they,"  "Why are they working 
> xxx and not me?"
> comments are all a major PITA.  If it is something relatively 
> rare and folks
> have set alarms on their terminal software, flagged those 
> entities for SMS
> alerts, or flagged those entities for pager notification, all 
> the extra BS
> is akin to "spitting in someone else's soup."
> 
> If you want to make those comments - DON'T do it as a "DX Spot." 
> Use one of the other features (Announce?) that the rest of us 
> can filter
> out. 
> 
> 73, 
> 
>    ... Joe, W4TV 
> 
>    
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com 
> > [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of w0mu
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2005 11:01 PM
> > To: 'Cq-Contest'
> > Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Packet Cluster Practices
> > 
> > 
> >  Bill I have to agree, the Can't hear them spots actually 
> helped here 
> > too.  I can't recall such odd propagation ever as a ham.  Generally 
> > the pacific from Colorado is like shooting fish in a 
> barrel.  Not so 
> > this time.  I can't recall ever hearing the east coast work the 
> > pacific in the afternoon where we could not hear the station.
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com 
> > [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bill Coleman
> > Sent: Tuesday, October 04, 2005 6:58 PM
> > To: Alan Zack
> > Cc: Richard Zalewski; Cq-Contest
> > Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Packet Cluster Practices
> > 
> > 
> > On Oct 3, 2005, at 12:12 AM, Alan Zack wrote:
> > 
> > > What I really hate is people reporting they DON'T hear the DX!
> > 
> > Actually, I find that useful. During the K7C expedition, I 
> often could 
> > not hear the station at all. I wondered if my rig was broken, or my 
> > feedline disconnected. To realise that other people could not hear 
> > either is quite helpful.
> > 
> > The type of stuff that's completely useless is the comments 
> directed 
> > toward the DX. Do they really think that K7C is spending any time 
> > watching the messages in the packetcluster?
> > 
> > Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
> > Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
> >              -- Wilbur Wright, 1901
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
> > CQ-Contest mailing list
> > CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
> > 
> > 
> > _______________________________________________
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> > 
> 
> 
> 
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