[CQ-Contest] How close is too close?

[Timothy Coker]

I enjoy CW contests a lot for this reason (there are others too). With my
K3 and a 400hz 8-pole I can slip right in between like you mention. If
someone does the same to me I can button down the hatches from 500hz
filtering while running to 300hz, usually without the need to move. If I
have to stay at 300hz for long I am usually thinking of moving if the rate
isn't good.

As Randy mentions the defense option comes in to mind. It's "My Frequency"
can happen to all of us, big or little, and sometimes we politely ask
people to move. Other times one might find themselves creeping up/down to
over power the encroaching station and force him to move or suffer the rate
consequences. Ham spirit? Competitive way? All open for debate sure, but
then there is the reality of the contest environment.

I am sure his receivers were just fine, if not better than yours. I am
pretty sure the DX stations had a much easier time finding and working him.
You were that station in between that one works as icing on the cake during
the phase of having worked a big boy and initially turning the dial. I have
nudged myself in close to a big gun under the thinking that they will bring
a lot of stations to that frequency and thus here I will be only 300-700 kc
away. I have, at times, wondered if my signal was bothering a big gun (much
like a small animal taking advantage of the big animal's left overs)?

73,

Tim / N6WIN.

On Mon, Feb 20, 2012 at 3:55 AM, Edward Sawyer <SawyerEd at earthlink.net>wrote:

> It is interesting that I hear all these great reports of how wonderful the
> (plug in your favorite radio here) receiver is for close channel separation
> and brick wall blah blah blah.  Usually the venerable FT1000MP is used as a
> comparison dummy in the statement.  I run 2 of them here.  And low power
> (which for this past weekend was 150W).
>
>
>
> Numerous times this weekend I am being asked to QSY when "firing up" about
> 350 to 500hz away from a BIG GUN Multi.  One of them was 10 over to me on
> 40M and I had zero problem hearing the noise floor where I was sitting and
> was actually running at 100 rate.  Yet this clearly bothered the other op.
> What's with this?
>
>
>
> Why would the FT1000MP Low Power guy be bothering the full power guy with
> much newer and clearly better gear?  Is it that they are expecting 700 -
> 1000hz of quiet breathing room in one of the biggest CW contests of the
> year
> on an open band?  I certainly hope not.
>
>
>
> So what is the opinion from the group?  With the great rated receivers out
> there, how close can someone get on CW and not really bother your run?  For
> me its 350hz.  Inside that and it causes problems.  If I hear 2 guys 700 -
> 900hz apart, I am slipping in between.
>
>
>
> Maybe I should buy an amp and really push the impact out there.  With low
> power, I shouldn't be your worst problem.
>
>
>
> Ed  N1UR
>
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