[CQ-Contest] Your DX Spots during the ARRL SSB DX Contest

Tue Mar 8 10:53:00 EST 2016

Depending on the contest, the ability to run as a smaller station can be 
a challenge.  I think the least likelihood chance for a garden variety 
station to run is in CQWW where you are simply one of a huge crowd in an 
everybody-works-everybody contest.

In focused events (WAE, IOTA, ARRL DX, and even WPX if your prefix is a 
"catch"), many stations can indeed run.

With skimmer, things are more or less equalized which is a bonus for low 
power stations owing to the effective ability to CW to cut through QRM.

Phone is a different story.  Ay my QTH I have a fan dipole at about 75 
feet that has a broad lobe northeast-southwest and a second fan dipole 
at about 55 feet where the lobe runs due north-south.

Even with the USA guys being the "catch", I was only moderately 
successful at running with one exception - I had a huge run on 15 meter 
SSB Sunday morning.  The rate was decent until 9K2NO spotted me and my 
rate meter went from about 2 a minute to closer to 5 or 6 a minute.  And 
that is from my QTH.

Obviously, if you are one of about four QRV hams from a given entity, 
you don't need to worry.  You're going to draw a pile and a crazy one at 
that.  I always enjoy seeing the mid/late afternoon Sunday pileups when 
an OX, a TF, a HP3, a 5H, or a CP shows up for the first time in a 
contest.  Sheer craziness for 30+ minutes.

73 Rich NN3W

On 3/8/2016 9:39 AM, Mats Strandberg wrote:
> In CW I gladly try Run even with a small pistol station, but being on the
> eastern side of the EU wall, trying to keep a Run frequency with 1 kW and a
> reasonably effective yagi antenna is VERY hard (that will say on 15-80
> meters).  If 10 meters was open to the US, this would be a good band for a
> small pistol to try some Run operation.
>
> I did try, and succeeded a few times to keep Run frequencies on those bands
> mentioned above, but sooner of later, an alligator (mostly from Europe)
> will either jump directly on the frequency and steal it - or same type of
> stations will place themselves 1-2 kHz away, with dirty amps and use the
> fact that the station above is cleaner and less wide, and subsequently will
> not disturb his 3 kW+ station.
>
> I think this was my last attempt to work ARRL SSB from Moscow with my
> relatively good but small setup. It simply becomes S&P at least 80-90% of
> the time. ARRL CW is more fun and it is possible usually to find a Run
> frequency (and keep it) somewhere high up on the bands.
>
> If US stations would spot us smaller pistols a little more frequently, one
> would in the best of times be able to keep the Run frequency for good runs
> in 150-200+ rates. Without repeated spots (every 5 or 10 minutes), the risk
> to be calling lonely without replies becomes evident, and some alligator
> make use of the "free" frequency and just grab it in front of your nose...
> That is the common life of a small pistol (kW with 2 or 3 element
> monobander at 18 meters up) in Eastern part of Europe.
>
> 73 de Mats RM2D
>
>
>
>
> 2016-03-08 7:42 GMT+03:00 Stephen Bloom <sbloom at acsalaska.net>:
>
>> It's easy for me to say since in most contests ..I'm a Mult that people
>> want
>> ..but I do think the little pistols should try running ..more than they do
>> ..especially later in contests ..or slow times in general.  If you are
>> operating in an assisted class ...during CW and RTTY contests ..call CQ and
>> see what you hit on the Reverse Beacon Network and how strong.  Assuming
>> you
>> ping anything ..call CQ for awhile ..even if you don't get instant answers.
>> All it takes is one spot.  It's tougher on SSB of course because you are
>> relying on being spotted ...but people will tune ..and again ..all it takes
>> is one spot.  Almost all of us are automated enough to have a Run CQ Loop.
>> The closest thing for me is NAQP SSB ...where we're at a real disadvantage
>> up here ...especially on the Low Bands ..but even then ...sooner or later
>> someone hears us.  I wouldn't encourage S&P only categories ...because I
>> think that will end up creating fewer Qs ..not more.  What I *would*
>> suggest
>> is that lower power guys try running higher up in the band  ..it's what we
>> do up here at the times where we know everyones antenna is pointed in the
>> other direction.
>>
>> 73
>> Steve KL7SB
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of
>> Scott Ellington
>> Sent: Monday, March 07, 2016 1:18 PM
>> To: cq-contest at contesting.com
>> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Your DX Spots during the ARRL SSB DX Contest
>>
>> On 3/7/2016 13:59, Barry N1EU wrote:
>>> And I'll repeat once more:  We need an S&P only category in the major
>>> dx contests!  Give folks a viable option if they choose to avoid all
>>> the out-muscling, splattering/key-clicking infringement,
>>> might-is-right experience of running.
>> It would be nice, with or without the S&P category, if there were some way
>> for all the S&P operators to work each other.  It gets really boring later
>> in the contest tuning the band over and over, hearing the same dupes.
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Scott  K9MA
>>
>> --
>> Scott Ellington  K9MA
>> Madison, Wisconsin, USA
>>
>> k9ma at sdellington.us
>>
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