[CQ-Contest] What to do?

[mfdechristopher at mail.plymouth.edu]

Think of it this way...as much of a "travesty" as this seems to be, at some point, the west coast guys are going to spin their beams east to work some EU (depending on LP).  Then, they find an east coast station already calling.  So (let me use your example): On many occasions the west coast station may become very belligerent about having “his” run frequency stolen and begins to call CQ and QRM the east coast station even though he has little chance of establishing an effective run.  Of course the east 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 European stations calling are the “bottom tier” stations who have marginally copyable signals at best.

This is a timeless problem, I guess.

____________________________
Mike DeChristopher, K1KAA
k1kaa at arrl.net

----- Original Message -----
From: "N7DF" <n7df at yahoo.com>
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Sent: Friday, September 21, 2007 12:13:35 PM (GMT-0500) America/New_York
Subject: [CQ-Contest] What to do?

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

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