Topband: dx windows

[Ford Peterson]

As much as we would all hope otherwise, I'm fearful that the notion of DX windows would soon dominate any contest on Topband.

Let's face it, last week we had about 1500 people using 60 KHz of spectrum.  60KHz folks!  That's it!  Assuming 1/2 are talking to the other 1/2, that's 750 conversations getting a whopping 80 Hz for each QSO. Obviously, I'm exaggerating a bit, but you get my drift.

I've pondered many notions.  How about DX 'runs' frequencies at the top of each hour for 30 minutes, and US/VE for the other 30 minutes?  How about odd KHz for DX and even DX for US/VE?  How about channelizing Topband for odd / even 2 KHz splits?  You know what?  It ain't going to happen!  The complexity of 3rd, 4th, and 5th tier US/VE working through the wall of RF on the east coast makes EU almost impossible to run (except for 4 digit zip codes of course).  And allocating that much spectrum for a handful of Qs is likewise out-of-the-question.  Why?  Because this is supposed to be fun.  And working 3 to 5 Qs / hour is not fun, it's very hard work.  People would stay away in droves.

As much as I wish it were otherwise, as soon as you enter DX into a domestic contest, the notion of QTH will dominate no matter what you do with the rules.

Ford-N0FP
ford at cmgate.com