[CQ-Contest] What to do?

[Steve London]

At this point in the sunspot cycle, this hasn't been a big problem.

The Asiatic opening really doesn't begin that early in the afternoon. In CQWW 
SSB, JA sunrise is around 21Z. 20 meters has been opening to JA around 21Z, and 
15 meters, around 22Z. On 20 meters, 21Z is the tail-end of the European 
opening. Once 20 closes to Europe, the smart east coast single-op stations know 
they don't have a very good JA opening, so they either go multiplier hunting, or 
QSY to 40 to run Europe. This leaves just the east coast single-band 20, 
multi-2's and multi-multi's on 20, greatly reducing the competition for band 
space. They quickly discover that I am working 2nd and 3rd tier stations they 
don't hear at all, and usually leave me alone. I have much bigger problems with 
Caribbean and South American stations suddenly showing up on my JA run frequency.

On 15 meters, this has been even more of a non-problem. There isn't much of an 
east coast JA opening on 15 at this point in the sunspot cycle.

This was a little more problematic during the peak of the sunspot cycle, but the 
secret was to run JA on the highest frequency band that was open for me at the 
time - which is usually a higher frequency band than the east coast has an 
opening at that same time.

73,
Steve, N2IC/5
Southwest New Mexico

N7DF wrote:
> I know that all of us intermountain and west coast stations have run into this.  I would like to get a read on what the readers feel is the appropriate action.
>   >
>   >
>   On 15 or 10 meters, in the early afternoon, a west coast station begins to get the Asiatic opening as the band closes for him to Europe and sunrise begins in Asia.  He turns his beam toward the west and finds a frequency where he can begin running at a good rate.  There is no QRM other than the usual background grumble from stations on nearby frequencies.   He has been running rate on the frequency for an hour or more with practically no QRM.
>    
>   As the evening progresses the band begins to rapidly shift propagation and within minutes an east coast station, who has obviously turned one of his antennas west to begin accessing the Asiatic opening that has begun for him, comes up on frequency and announces that he has been running on the frequency for the last several hours and the west coast station should QSY.  Of course his run was toward Europe.  With his antennas pointed toward Europe with the daytime and early evening propagation the west coast station on frequency has been down in the noise for him.
>    
>   On many occasions the east coast station may become very belligerent about having "his" run frequency stolen and begins to call CQ and QRM the west coast station even though he has little chance of establishing an effective run.  Of course the west coast station now has to contend with the QRM and his run rate is significantly decreased.  This is especially annoying because by now most of the Asiatic stations calling are the "bottom tier" stations who have marginally copyable signals at best.
>    
>   By this time the band is so crowded that a compromise of both stations shifting frequency in opposite directions is impossible.
>    
>   Now, who should have the opportunity to continue running on the frequency?  The west coast station who has been successfully running Asia on it for a period of time or the east coast station who has been using the frequency for running Europe but wants to retain the frequency and establish an Asiatic run?
>    
>   Or should they just slug it out until one of them gives up and QSYs?
> 
> 
> 73 From Number 7 Desert Fox