Topband: Tailending again

[Robert Marshall-Read]

As a Top Bander who is not a "real" DXpeditoner....just someone who
occasionally ends up in an interesting location...I would like to share a
couple of scenarios:

1. Imagine it is 04:30 or 05:00 local, sun not up, nine hours of work at the
office between you and that day's sunset, and you fire up the rig.  Coffee
in hand, headphones on, and the QRN hits you between the ears at S9+20.  18+
dB of attenuation and it is S6.  Check the RX antenna and things are a bit
better (only S3 with crashes), some Europeans, a few 'locals' from DU and JA
on the band.  Find a QRG that doesn't have fishing buoys and call CQ.  All
Hell breaks loose on the QRG, so you ask for 2 up....all Hell breaks loose
there, but you manage to get a partial out of the 'alphabet soup' and go
back.  Havoc is still the order of the day, and then come the high speed
tailenders, right on top of the guy you are trying to resolve. 'KN' means
something else now I think...something like call over and over and hope you
can get the DX station, not sure.

Anyway, you get most of the original call if you are lucky, send the report
(449 if good, 559 if outstanding, 339 if audible), and wait while the mayhem
gets worse and the poor guy you called is BURIED.  

Hey, this is a hobby, I do it 'cause I love it, it Ain't the Super Bowl (on
this side anyway). 

2.  I need some new countries for DXCC so here is another scenario. Imagine
you need a VU2, you see the spot, you call him, he comes back, and again all
Hell breaks loose on the frequency.....the tailenders pounce like a hungry
school of piranhas.....the VU2 gets fed up or shell shocked, you get p*****d
off, and one more gets away. 

Here in Singapore the locals at the club stay away from the bands if more
than one or two stations call, they do get shell shocked.  Most of them
don't operate CW and those that do S+P just like I am starting to do, good
propagation on 160 from here is a curse, because then EVERYBODY calls, at
the same time and forever.

Just my two cents worth.

CU on the band,

Bob 9V1GO




































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