[CQ-Contest] ARRL DX CW -- disappointing experience

[kq2m at kq2m.com]

On many occasions during ARRLDXCW I was using my FT1000MP with a PAIR of 
250khz filters and then adding the Notch filter (manually tuning back 
and forth), IPO and shift/width (manually tuning back and forth) and 
Clarifier (RIT) manually tuning back and forth and NOTHING helped pick 
out any callsign. Sometimes for even as long as 1 minute I could not 
pull out a single callsign out of mass of endless callers.  I have even 
resorted to listening to the beats created by two stations with same 
signal strength on the same freq. calling at the same time at DIFFERENT 
SPEEDS, and then using that to discern a callsign while not actually 
ever the signal itself.

The massive pileup was one thing, but the ENDLESS calling of stations 
that I had NOT called is something quite different - it was noticeably 
worse in this contest than any before and the trend has been getting 
steadily worse since a few years ago.

Typical was when I came back with a FULL call:

G8XYV 599CT and what I heard was:

UA3ABC
IK8ZZZ
RU1AAA and several others calling

2nd try I again sent:
G8XYV 599CT and what I heard was

UA3ABC
IK8ZZZ
DL8XYZ

3rd try I again sent:
G8XYV 599CT and what I heard was

IK8ZZZ
DL8XYZ

4th try I again sent:
G8XYV 599CT and what I heard was

IK8ZZZ and G8XYV (miraculously he was still calling me although 
sometimes a station would have left by now)

and I finally logged the qso on the 4th or 5th try if someone impatient 
on the freq. didn't start transmitting QRL?  QRZ? or dumping
their callsign in and wiping out G8XYV, or some lid started cqing on top 
of us.

It was that out of control for many hours on Saturday and again on 
Sunday, turning 250+ hours in 180 hours and wasting everyone's time 
NEEDLESSLY.

Frankly, it is MADDENING!

Yes, I would much rather have this than a dead band, but why does it 
need to happen at all?  Occasional op mistakes are one thing; when 
sleep-deprived we all are unintentional lids at times, but THIS is an 
operating pattern that is spreading and accelerating rapidly.  It is 
just plain inconsiderate and DUMB to operate like this  -  the triumph 
of entitlement, impatience and spite (if I can't work him then NO ONE 
will work him!) over patience and the pride in demonstrating good 
operating skills.

Morse Runner does not help with that and all the filtering does not help 
with that.

If you are an offender then you are not likely reading this post on the 
CQ-Contest reflector, but if you are reading it, PLEASE KNOCK IT OFF! 
PLEASE LISTEN before you transmit and PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELF! Keep your 
impatience and whatever else you are feeling in check and operate with 
some courtesy and good skills and make the contest a more pleasant 
experience for yourself and everyone else.  If ops behave better then 
maybe in the next pileup you are calling in, YOU will get through that 
much FASTER?!!

Here's to GREAT conditions and BETTER operating!

73

Bob, KQ2M


On 2024-02-24 16:49, Richard F DiDonna NN3W wrote:
> Narrow up your filter and use the RIT.  It does work.
> 
> Or hit Morse Runner for some more practice.
> 
> 73 Rich NN3W
> 
> On Sat, Feb 24, 2024 at 12:35 PM Tom Hellem <tom.hellem at gmail.com> 
> wrote:
>> 
>> Pete:
>> I’m not really seeing how the stations in EU not  hearing each other 
>> has anything to do with the problem.
>> 
>> Here’s a typical exchange:
>> I call cq. A pile of 8 stations responds. I copy DL5 and put it in the 
>> call sign field, hit F5 three times. The same 8 station pile comes 
>> back again, only one that I can discern having DL5 in the call. Rest 
>> are I, EW, UA, S5, etc. Repeat sequence 2 more times until enough 
>> finally shut up that I can get the DL5’s full call.
>> Sound familiar?
>> 
>> Tom H
>> K0SN
>> 
>> > On Feb 23, 2024, at 6:12 PM, Pete Smith N4ZR <pete.n4zr at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > I would rank most of us below the Japanese when it comes to average operating etiquette, but it's worth remembering that particularly on the high bands callers often can't hear each other, and the "1X?" sort of obscure query can lead to a number of callers who have found the fragment in their calls (or close to) and choose to believe it's them..
>> >
>> > 73, Pete N4ZR
>> >
>> >> On 2/23/2024 5:56 PM, Tom Hellem wrote:
>> >> Art et al:
>> >> I had the same experience during the peaks of the high band openings to EU on both days. Nothing serves as a rate-killer like a bunch of stations all calling on the same frequency over and over. I have never experienced operating practice that bad in 30 years of contesting. Contrasted with the JA’s and to be fair, most other areas, it’s like night and day.
>> >>
>> >> Tom
>> >> K0SN
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >>>> On Feb 23, 2024, at 2:41 PM, Art Boyars<artboyars at gmail.com>  wrote:
>> >>>
>> >>> In case you didn't read my post on 3830scores.com (and why would you?)...
>> >>>
>> >>> I did Saturday night and a bit of Sunday morning at W3LPL.  When I got home
>> >>> Sunday I did one "fresh meat" run on each band, 10M, 15M, 20M, 40M.  Great
>> >>> rates, for 15 minutes or so.  However (quoting myself):
>> >>>
>> >>> A comment/complaint: Some of the European Big Guns (especially the
>> >>> multi-op's) were VERY aggressive callers.  I'd send a partial call, and
>> >>> several other stations would keep calling.  I guess they needed the MD
>> >>> multiplier.
>> >>>
>> >>>