[CQ-Contest] Working Split in Contests

[jpescatore at aol.com]

Pete - looking at the reports scores on 3830, I see a lot of "84"s showing up under sections claimed, doesn't seem to have been that much harder to work NT this year than other years.
Personally, I like the Sweep being hard to get. I think part of the challenge is judging whether to spend the time in a pileup to get the mult or to move on and that is a good thing. The "tragedy of the commons" problems with the poor/rude operating habits of callers, exacerbated by skimmer spotting, is part of DXing and contesting.
This year I abandoned the VY0ERC pileup the first time, but left that freq in one ear while I worked the contest on 20 and 40. I heard him get much louder and went back and got through in a few minutes. In other years, I've set up shop calling CQ a few Khz higher than the NT station and had him call in many minutes later after he abandoned the unruly pileup. Other years I just haven't gotten the Sweep! Still fun, like fishing when that big one slips off the hook...
As I mentioned in my earlier comment, if there were to be any changes I'd like to see ops be able to request NOSPOTME of the skimmer network, which to work would also require the authentication issue to be addressed.
73 John K3TN
Pete said: "I've read all these complaints, and I generally agree.  but on Sunday, in SS, when the only VY0 then on the bands is being deluged with mis-timed or downright unthinking repeats, split would have been a boon to many, and as for the argument about interfering with other QSO efforts, have you listened to SS on Sunday recently - or ever?"