[CQ-Contest] Packet Cluster Practices

[Michael Tope]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "w0mu" <w0mu at w0mu.com>
To: "'Cq-Contest'" <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 8:23 AM
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....
>

Last monday night/tuesday morning (Sept 27 UTC), I came down to the
shack just before midnight and tuned up everything on 160 meters just
in case the K7C made an appearance. I then started to tune around and
was almost immediately greeted by K7C calling CQ on 1831.5 KHz with a
599+ signal. I called them and Gary NI6T the operator at K7C replied that
I was their first QSO on 160 meters. He then asked me to post them on the
cluster. Who would have thought the first guy to work K7C on 160 meters
would be running on 80 meter dipole on a 40ft Rohn push-up mast (I wish they
were all that easy). I had a similar experience with KH9/W0CN a week or
so before. Sometimes it does pay to tune around instead of watching the
packetcluster. BTW, it took me a couple evenings worth of calling to work
K7C over the hoardes of loud guys on 40 CW using the same crummy
antenna :):)

73 de Mike, W4EF............................