[CQ-Contest] The Calling Disease... (split operation)

[w9xt at unifiedmicro.com]

I probably worked 8-10 stations working split this weekend. Usually it is
maybe a single station in a contest weekend.

Working split is fine for DXpeditions as long as the listening range is
reasonable. I am concerned if it becomes commonplace in contests.

A pile up on CW might be 500 Hz wide or so. Going split can use a couple
of hundred Hz for the DX station plus maybe 1 KHz or more for the callers
and some space between them. Frequencies are tight on some bands and I
don't want to encourage stations taking more than one slot.

Should we discourage split operation in contests except when frequency
allocations don't line up? I think we should.

73
Gary, W9XT
www.w9xt.com


>
> For the first time that I can remember (and I've been playing this game
> for
> a very long time), DX stations were going split in WW so they could be
> heard.  It didn't stop the calling but at least you had a chance to hear
> who
> the DX was coming back to.
>
> Pete, W1RM