[CQ-Contest] contests and participation on air

[David Gilbert]

To be honest, given the rather widespread use of SDRs and the 
availability of RBN data, I'm surprised that nobody has yet documented 
that fact in measurable terms over the course of a complete year.  SDRs 
with the proper software could track RF energy density by band segment, 
and the RBN could track total callsigns.  I bet the callsign and/or 
energy density density profile when correlated to contest activity (QSO 
parties, medium and major contests) is profound.

73,
Dave   AB7E




On 7/22/2013 1:23 AM, Charles Harpole wrote:
> No real news to most of us but maybe more striking in signal-poor South
> East Asia----- contests GET HAMS ON THE AIR.  Then, no contests equals lots
> of artificially dead bands.
>
> Many times in week days, I can tune ALL of the HF bands and hear less than
> ten ham-originated signals totally !  Think of it, most bands TOTALLY DEAD
> and at any time day or night even with high flux times.  And it is not
> propagation's fault;  there are just no hams on the air that would
> propagate to me near Bangkok.
>
> THEN comes a huge contest weekend and all the bands light up with hundreds
> of signals, maybe thousands (the thousands calling me in zone 26, for
> example).  Twenty and fifteen have no blank spaces to slip in to start a CQ
> and a run!
>
> The fact is that without contests (and DX chasing) ham radio would appear
> to have disappeared if listening around.  12 meters with less than 25
> spots!  Imagine !
>
> Contests and DX sell radios and antennas;  get people improving their rigs;
> and get hams off the Internet and back on the air.
>
> Tell all this to the grumpy few rag chew groups too lazy to move to the
> WARC bands.  But, get on the air, hams!  Bands are open and waiting.
>
> 73
>
> Charly, HS0ZCW