Topband: KH6ZM Pileup and Operating Manners

Joe Wilkowski k8fc at k8fc.com
Thu Feb 19 15:43:16 EST 2004


Technology is a double edge sword.  You live by it and you die by it.  This
problem is not unique and the more advanced the technology becomes the
easier it is to hear, mask noise, manipulate antennas, turn on large fast
auto-tune frequency agile amplifiers and double click on spots.

You will never ever get people to stop using their equipment in this manner
because they can.  If you dump your call in twice and listen there is a
pretty good chance you loose.  If your the loudest guy in the bunch, then
you only need to dump your call in twice.  But, and this is a qualified
"but" as given by all the testimony sorunding this particular thread, the
fingers can be pointed in many directions all at once.  Tail ending,
inccesant calling, calling until you are the last electron in the ether, the
dx waiting until he hears a call in the clear (usually at the end) the
simplex operation etc. etc. etc.

All this serves to make good fodder for conversation.  Technology is here to
stay.  The blame and responsibility for the misuse of this technology  falls
squarly on the shoulders of the operator that sits in front of the rig.
Human nature being  what it is,  sometimes it is hard for folks to overcome
that one facet of their nature that makes them do what they do.  People
resort to tricks that they have learned from the battles they have
experienced.  How you get around this is beyond me.

Education of the masses I presume, could fix the problem but sometimes I
wonder.

So, if we all step back, take a breath, hold your temper and try to do all
the right things with the tools at your hands, then maybe over time we can
shift the paradighm from the dark side to good organized chaos where
everyone has a chance to win.

Sorry for the dribble, just had to add to the fray.

/joe k8fc



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