Topband: QSB surfing

[Gary Smith]

>  If you think he got your
> call wrong - send your call ONLY again and make him send it right before
> going on.  The reason for this - is that once you send an RST - and it is
> copied on the other end - the QSO is going to "complete" without any
> control on your part.

When I got into the sport I remember each contact gave both the 
sender and receiver's call at the beginning and end of a contact. I'm 
a Rip VanWinkle in that after the big D I was away from radio for a 
number of years. When I cam back on some 10 years later, things had 
changed. Was it because of the contest mentality or call it the 
barrage of Dxpeditions mentality; contacts are almost universally 
shortened that to one reply call an exchange of of 599 + designator. 

The DX/Contest station accepts the next call and the sequence begins 
again. When the QRM builds up the DX/Contest station gives their call 
and then works the string by the sequence above waiting 10 or more 
contacts before giving their call again. Seems like 100% of 
DXpeditions are doing this now. And... that seems to be the norm.

It's swiss cheese in terms of quality control so with the loopholes 
that entails, it's easy to see why garbage in the logs happens. You 
want to stop it, go back to what it was so no faking can get by.

I don't expect it to return to yesteryear. but then again, it is only 
a hobby that is designed to make all rewards personal. 

A couple of days ago I was calling CQ in the morning. A station came 
back to me but mixed in the QSB/QRN of the dawn. I tried to copy and 
got a J an 8 & an I. I kept saying ? to try and put it together. On 
the cluster I saw what was probably the same station. I didn't 599 & 
T U and they stopped trying. Someone else came back with different 
letters but the same thing. I shut off the rig when they were gone. 
Another ham emailed me telling me who it was and indeed it was the JA 
(which I need on 160) calling me. I could have taken the cheap 
contact and booked it in my log but this is my game to me, nobody 
elses and if I cheat, I won't honor my DXCC that I've been working on 
30 years now (minus that 10...)

So to me, reality is things aren't going to change. Those that "want 
it now" will do whatever's needed to make that happen. and their 
bragging rights to me are a bag of wind and I'll never know who they 
are and I don't care. It's my game, not anyone elses. The value is in 
honor.

You cheat: You are what you get.

Gary
KA1J