[CQ-Contest] Working Split In A Contest Is Verboten!

[Tom Frenaye]

At 12:54 AM 2/22/2016, Jim Brown/K9YC wrote:
>Today was the first time in a long time I've witnessed this very bad practice, bad because it dumps your callers on top of a dozen or more other running stations. Two stations did it Sunday afternoon, and one of them clobbered A35T. PULEEZE don't do this, guys.
>
>Good operators learn how to manage pileups without the crutch of split. The guys at D4C are a great example. They're always busy, but I'm nearly always able to get through by skillfully working around the pileup centered on their frequency, both because they're even more skilled at working it and because they have great ears. I ran QRP (5W) this weekend, and I'm in their log on four bands from NorCal. Not once did it take me more than a few calls WITH 5W!

I think CX6VM is right, some times going split in a contest is a good idea.   I only heard one station doing it this last weekend - 4W/N1YC.   He had a marginal signal here when I heard him on 15m and the callers on frequency were constantly covering him up.   When you have a relatively weak signal and there are dozens (or hundreds) of callers, it is impossible for even the best operators to control the pileup.   

Yes, the guys on the recent VP8 trips did it well, but they had plans to be at each location for a week and had multiple stations.   I'm not suggesting it be the norm, but in some cases it works and provides a better chance for more people to get a new multiplier.   I did hear several stations who were run off the band because of unruly pileups that they couldn't control and should have gone split.   Better to have the station go split and work more stations than to run them off the band.  

By the way, 4W/N1YC seemed to be doing it very well.  He was operating high in the band and saying "up 1" when I heard him.   That's better than disturbing the crowded lower end with a split operation.

     -- Tom


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