[CQ-Contest] "?" not equal to "QRL?"

[Ron Notarius W3WN]

I think you're both right on target here.

My issue remains, though, when you THINK you've found a clear frequency, have made a few CQ's and even a few QSO's, and then havd someone show up and demand you relinquish the frequency because it was HIS frequency a few moments ago and he wants it back NOW.  And in the heat of the moment, well, sometimes things get out of hand.

It is one of my pet peeves of contesting, right up there with the station who works you on your run frequency and then, at the end of the contact, tries to grab it from you by calling CQ (and won't go away after being politely asked by you); and the station who parks right above or below you (usually right after working you) and slowly but surely "drifts" within a few Q's right on top of you... and amazingly enough can no longer copy you even after the "59" or "599" you got moments ago.

What irks me about all three of these peeves is that when you talk to some of the culprits after the fact, you hear comments like "tough noogies, it's not prohibited" and/or "if you don't like it, get a bigger amp/antenna and push me off!"  To my mind, these are the unsportsman-like tactics of a schoolyard bully and should not be tolerated.

Fortunately, there's only a relatively small handful of contest ops who do this on a regular basis.  Thank goodness.

73, ron w3wn

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Date: Wed, 9 Aug 2006 22:24:14 -0500
From: "Mark Beckwith" <n5ot at n5ot.com>
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] "?" not equal to "QRL?"
To: <CQ-Contest at contesting.com>

Silly me, I guess I made the assumption that one should only inquire if the frequency is in use if they have first determined that it is void of signals.  I am pretty sure that most people who send "?" on my CQ frequency while I'm in mid-QSO with a weak one haven't listened well enough yet, and are in too big of a hurry.

Also, there's a lot to be said for the old prosign "didit dit" which is shorter even than a question mark, and which does mean "is this frequency in use?"

Finally I agree with Jim that even after you think it's clear and you actually get out a CQ before you get told the frequency is in use, you ought to give it up and move on in a gentlemanly fashion.

Mark, N5OT
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Jimk8mr at aol.com 
  To: n5ot at n5ot.com ; CQ-Contest at contesting.com 
  Sent: Wednesday, August 09, 2006 9:32 PM
  Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] "?" not equal to "QRL?"


  In a message dated 8/9/2006 10:12:49 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, n5ot at n5ot.com writes:

    "Di-di-dah-dah-di-dit" does not mean "is the frequency in use?"  Using it 
    as such is bad form.  MHO.




  MHO disagrees.

  The "?" has a dual meaning, as heard by a guy who really is using a frequency.

  Not only does it mean "if you don't tell me otherwise I'm going to start calling CQ here in about a second", it also means "who was that who was just calling here, whose call I did not get". 

  So you hear a possible open frequency, send "?", and a guy who has been there and had let 3 seconds pass between a CQ can just dump in his call, both showing that the frequency is in use and inviting you to work him before you move on.  

  Or if he was quiet because he was digging out a weak one, "?" clobbers the weak one a lot less than "QRL".

  Send "QRL" and the guy who has been there has his blood pressure go up a dozen points as he goes into frequency defend mode. And he probably won't send just his call, and you won't get to get a qso if you haven't worked him yet.



  All that said, I disagree that a failure to elicit a response to a "?" or "QRL" constitutes a grant of a frequency.  Call a quick CQ, and if a guy comes on telling you "QRL QSY", do so.

  After an uncontested CQ or two, then you have a pretty good claim to the frequency.


  73  -  Jim  K8MR