[CQ-Contest] Reverse Beacon Network - too much success?

[Anthony Wanschura]

Quote:
> David - well said. Some folks have noticed that I've stopped DXpeditioning
> this past year or so. There are several causes of course, but the main one
> is that I don't enjoy the operating any more, mainly due to packet
> pile-ups which instantly attract point & click incompetent operators. It's
> time for a review of DX Cluster: logins; filtering out specified
> call-signs (I would ask sysops to blank any spots for me on DXpedition);
> converting spot frequencies into band/mode plus a dozen other
> improvements. DX Cluster has never been modernised.
> 73 de Roger/G3SXW.
>

I'm really sorry to hear this. Roger is a very good op, and his DXpeditions
will be missed.

I do understand his frustration. Huge zero-beat packet pileups absolutely
destroyed my rate late at night into EU on 40 and 80 from 9M6LSC in CQWW CW
last year. Hardly anyone bothered to call 20hz or more off zero-beat. Those
who did usually got through, even if they were weaker than the zero-beat
guys. I don't know if it is laziness or stupidity, but it happened
consistently, and takes much of the pleasure out of being a rare or
semi-rare station, whether in or out of a contest.

The DX station has to be VERY LOUD to control a pileup in these situations.
That is usually not a realistic option. Neither is split operation viable in
contests... you just end up losing your transmit frequency and causing
unnecessary QRM to other contesters . I think I am a fairly decent cw op;
not a star, but competent enough. But there is very little a guy can do when
so many operators simply click on the spot and hit the send button, without
really listening first or thinking about what they can do differentiate
themselves from the rest of the pile.

Packet is a cancer on our hobby. It would not sadden me at all to see it
banned completely.

Tony
KM0O, 9M6LSC (cqwwcw 2009), XU7MWA

Tony