[CQ-Contest] SSB in CW band

[Ron Notarius W3WN]

We're not telling the SSB op he can't operate on 40 (or any other band),
we're saying that the SSB op has to respect other users.

Most administrations around the world have not adapted band/mode limitations
like the FCC has in the US.  There are many reasons for that, one of which
is (IMHO) the fact that most amateurs follow the voluntary band plans, thus
a government imposed restriction is not neccesary.  Those of us who do not
show reasonable self-restraint jeopardizes that.

Rick W1TY said "If Main Street in your town was closed or required a detour
during a festival or event, would that really bother you? Same thing. Just
detour to another frequency or band. There are lots of choices."  Let's
explore that analogy a little further:

When the SSB ops occupy a majority of the band, but not all, yes, it's
equivalent to Main Street and other main roads being blocked for a major
event.  But there are still "roads" available.

But when the SSB ops occupy all or almost all of the band, as SSB operations
below 7120 often did this last weekend, it's not just Main Street and other
main roads being blocked, it's ALL roads being blocked.  No alternative
routes available.  That's right?

To use a similar analogy, when the Boston Marathon is run, do only selected
roads that are a part of or adjacent to the route get shut down for a few
hours, or is every road in and out of Boston shot down?

I don't want to see "contest free zones" written into a contest's rules.
That makes the rules less flexible and causes unknown ancillary effects.
But if a small handful of ops refuse to restrain themselves and continue to
throw their "weight" around, and continue to act like the school yard
bullies who do whatever they want because they think they can... it will
happen.  And we'll all suffer for it.  So do we restrain ourselves, or wait
for the hammer to be dropped?

Oh, and Hans?  Regarding '"gentleman" and "contesting" are incompatible
terms.  Get used to it.'?  That's the very mindset that's got us into this
mess.  And no, they didn't used to be... but the "anything goes" and
"anything to win" mentatility is making them such.  Sad... and encouraging
it is sadder.

73, ron w3wn

-----Original Message-----
Date: 30 Oct 2006 09:16:20 -0600
From: Doug Smith W9WI <w9wi at earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] SSB in CW band
To: 'CQ Contest Reflector' <cq-contest at contesting.com>

On Sun, 2006-10-29 at 23:58, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
> I'm saying that a contest sponsor cannot enforce anything more
> restrictive than the regulations of the particular country in
> which the station is operating.  To do so opens the very real
> possibility of keystone copy, kangaroo courts, and unequal
> enforcement.  Who is to decide which "bandplans" may be violated
> and which may not?  Is SSB on 7010 any worse than SSB on 1833?
> What level of proof should be required?

When it comes down to it the majority of contest rules cannot be
enforced.  How does the committee know I was QRP?  They'd have to send
an inspector into my shack with a wattmeter...  yet while violations are
not unheardof, they're rare.  IMHO if the CQ WW rules were to specify
"no SSB between 7000 and 7025" most of the SSB operation between 7000
and 7025 *would* go away.

But...  isn't this the same "contest-free zone" concept we're decrying
within the other bands?  We're proposing to tell the SSB operator who
intends to operate on 40 meters that he *can't* operate on 40, because a
CW operator *might* want to operate?  How is this different from
marking, say, 14227-14233 as off-limits because someone *might* want to
transmit a SSTV picture?  Or 7290-7300 because someone *might* want to
operate full-carrier AM?

I was pleasantly surprised to notice a growing level of DX activity in
7150-7200KHz.  Anyone who wasn't listening for DX up there missed out on
a number of stations, including V51W who was doing a land-office
business on 7195 simplex.  At least on this side, SW BC is much less of
a problem up there than it used to be.  I have hope that in a few years,
this segment will relieve pressure on the lower parts of the band --
this problem could be self-rectifying in 2-3 years.
--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN  EM66
http://www.w9wi.com