[CQ-Contest] intentional QRMing rare ones - SS SSB

[asciibaron at comcast.net]

while attempting to work VY1MB on 20m on Sunday in SS SSB, i had to work around another station who was 400 hertz down on 14.155.  there was a rather large pileup on VY1MB, and the other station was working a few here and there.  i dropped down and asked the station if he could slide down just a little bit (500 hertz at most, which seemed was in the clear) but he refused in very clear terms and made no attempt to be civil.  it seems odd to stay right next to a "rare" mult, but he persisted and had a lot of dupes that he was working off VY1MB's frequency.  

i figured he was trying to hold his run frequency but was loosing the battle to the VY1 pile up but wrote down his callsign because of the nasty comments he had given me.  i checked to see if i had worked him which i had very early in the contest.

a few hours later i came across NH6P and wouldn't you know it, there was a station right on top of him calling CQ, again about 400 hertz down.  i tuned down and let the operator know he was right on top of NH6P to which i got back some lip service.  i didn't realize it was the same station until i got the lip service.  i checked the paper and sure enough, it was the same station that on top of VY1MB and again 400 hertz down.

i confronted the operator asking why he seemed to "just happen" (his words) to be working right next to/on top of the "rare" mult with a good pileup.  i got some lip service about propagation and the band going long.  i then let him know i wrote down his call earlier when he was on top of VY1MB and that i knew what he was up to and i was considering filing a complaint off with the FCC.  

while i realize that engaging the operator created more QRM for those trying to work NH6P, the result of that minute of confrontation was that he cleared off after a few "uh" and "um" stammerings into the mic.  he was truly speechless and i think he realized he had been called out on it.

i understand that propagation is such that all stations can not hear if a station is calling on a frequency, but you should be able to hear the pileup trying to work the station running on the frequency, right?  seems to me this was a great deal more than just sloppy operating or not having good ears, this was an intentional tactic used to siphon off QSO's from the pile up on the "rare" one.  

if this was unintentional, i'd gladly apologize for confronting the station, but judging from his reaction, i'm guessing he knew exactly what he was doing.  i'm still considering sending in a formal complaint against the offending station.  of all the complaints i here on the bands and at the local radio club meetings regarding the "poor operating" that contesters exhibit, this individual must be their poster child.   we need not give the non-contester any ammo with which to bolster their opinion (rightly or wrongly deserved) of contesting and contesters.


-Steve, WM3O