[CQ-Contest] TO7A case and K1DG case

Sun May 10 20:08:36 EDT 2015

Dmitry

As I have said I don't want to go on "live" log-checking. My posts had one
intention, to explain to all, that looking at log lines alone will tells us
nothing. Log checking is complex, and the complex of the situation is what
sometimes makes a log fall into the suspicious category.

But, even tough I say I don't want to go on "live log checking", the case
you present of K1DG against TO7A, falls in the category of  - looking at
log lines alone - will tell us nothing. So I will go deep, just for
education.

You say about K1DG log:

>>QSO: 3532 CW 2014-11-29 1000 K1DG 599 5 NP4Z 599 08 0
>>QSO: 3540 CW 2014-11-29 1001 K1DG 599 5 VE7FO 599 03 0
>>QSO: 3545 CW 2014-11-29 1001 K1DG 599 5 8P5A 599 08 0
>>QSO: 3554 CW 2014-11-29 1001 K1DG 599 5 VP2MDX 599 08 0
>>QSO: 3555 CW 2014-11-29 1002 K1DG 599 5 KH7XX 599 31 0
>>
>>23 khz scan in 2 min!!! with 5 juicy mults including double mults!!!

Buy the way, it is not "2 minutes" but three (1000;1001;1002) and not "5
juicy mults including double mults" but just 3 mults and no double mult.

But it is as you say, 23 Khz scan.

It this possible under a log checking perspective?

Let's look at the recreated band-map of the stations running on 80 meters,
using the public data from RBN.

The band map looks like this:

3530.1 NP4Z
3531.0 PJ2T
3533.1 VE2IM
3534.0 WP3C
3534.0 SM3DTQ
3536.0 N1KWF
3537.0 LA6MNA
3537.3 PJ4Q
3538.0 HI3A
3540.9 VE7FO
3542.2 HK1NA
3543.3 KH6CJJ
3546.0 8P5A
3548.1 TF3SG
3550.0 9Y4/VE3EY
3553.0 VO2CQ
3554.3 VP2MDX
3555.7 KH7XX
3557.0 DO6IH
3557.3 NS3T
3570.1 V47T

Doesn't seem to be a very crowded band.

But if we look into RBN data and public logs we will see that:

PJ2T was already worked before
VE2IM ended his last QSO at 09:58, so the frequency was clear
WP3C ended his last QSO at 09:51 do the frequency was clear
SM3DTQ did not submit a log, but skimmers show nothing after 09:56
N1KWF ended his last QSO at 10:01, so he was not there
LA6MNA did not submit a log, but skimmer shoe nothing after 09:46
KH6CJJ ended his last QSO at 09:46, so the frequency was clear
VO2CQ ended his last QSO at 09:40, so the frequency was clear

With this in mind. the band K1DG was facing was:

3530.1 NP4Z NEW MULT Worked 10:00
3531.0 PJ2T DUPE
3537.3 PJ4Q NEW MULT Missed
3538.0 HI3A NEW MULT Missed
3540.9 VE7FO Worked 10:01
3542.2 HK1NA DUPE
3546.0 8P5A NEW MULT Worked 10:01
3548.1 TF3SG DUPE
3550.0 9Y4/VE3EY NEW MULT Missed
3554.3 VP2MDX NEW MULT Worked 10:01
3555.7 KH7XX Worked 10:02

Removing the stations that K1DG had already worked we have:

3530.1 NP4Z NEW MULT Worked 10:00
3537.3 PJ4Q NEW MULT Missed
3538.0 HI3A NEW MULT Missed
3540.9 VE7FO Worked 10:01
3546.0 8P5A NEW MULT Worked 10:01
3550.0 9Y4/VE3EY NEW MULT Missed
3554.3 VP2MDX NEW MULT Worked 10:01
3555.7 KH7XX Worked 10:02

What does this tell me?
A very empty band, like one would expect from USA/Caribbean at this time of
day.
At 10:00 the sun is up over Europe and over South America.
USA cannot work each other, so all they have is an empty band of Caribbeans
(only some) the loud JA's and the few VKs/ZLs.

K1DG makes a QSO with NP4Z  on 3530.1 for a new mult at 10:00
K1DG makes a QSO with VE7FO on 3540.0 for just a new QSO
K1DG makes a QSO with 8P5A on 3546 for a new MULT
K1DG makes QSOs with VP2MDX for a new mult and then next one is KH7XX

Also worth noting is K1DG missed PJ4Q, HI3A, 9Y4/VE3EY, in between the scan.
Also worth noting is that , active on the band and missed by K1DG were new
multipliers like:
JA, VK, P4, VE2 (zone2), HI, 9Y

Bottom line:

K1DG worked only 3 mults out of 9 available
He made 5 QSO, in a 23 Khz span in 3 minutes, but then span is not
important, because the band was empty with just 11 stations CQing.
And also K1DG was just SO1R S&P. He was not SO2R with a run on a band and
S&P on 80.

Now going back to TO7A situation, things were very different:

First TO7A was SO2R, i.e. Running on 40 meters and S&P on 80
TO7A span was 34Khz, but unlike K1DG situation with a empty band, TO7A
"re-created" band map has 165 station in between the scan to find.

And in 8 minutes, in a very crowded and alive band, TO7A find 8 out of 15
multipliers, a 53% hit rate.

So, as you can see, looking at a few log lines, and comparing one log to
another is useless, unless one has:
the band context;
all logs involved context;
the time of day context;
etc.

This is why the job of a log checker is so complex, but at the same time
interesting for the ones who like to do it....

73 José Nunes
CT1BOH

-- 
José Nunes
CONTEST CT1BOH - http://www.qsl.net/ct1boh