Topband: Contest

[Gary Smith]

> > Not that I am loud by any means,  but man when you are
> >  20 over 9 and cant hear dozens of people calling wazzup?
> 
> 
> I used to think the reason big guns did not hear me were due to their  
> running directional receiving antennas, but I now suspect the majority of  the 
> problem has to do with the very narrow receive filters they  run.  During 
> this recent contest numerous big guns did not hear me when  they were full 
> scale on my S-meter, so I just kept changing my frequency ever so  slightly and 
> then they magically came right back.  It's amazing  how just a slight change 
> in my TX frequency made all the difference in the  world.
>  
> Don (wd8dsb)

I concur. I admit to using very narrow a filtering 
when in a contest, sometimes going down to 50Hz but 
when I do, I am not the one doing the calling. Most 
stations reply when I respond to their CQ so they 
are spot on. When I am calling CQ, I have to open 
the filters to 250Hz or wider but in doing so, I 
hear a lot more QRM.

There were several multipliers I needed to go after 
and I had to transmit off their transmit frequency 
to be heard. Sometimes 50-75 Hz was all that was 
necessary but I could have replied on their transmit 
freq. all night and they would have never heard me.

All considering I had to yet again put up the Inv_L 
which came down Friday and the rope came undone on 
Saturday... (Thank goodness for the Spud Gun talked 
about in QST) I managed to eek out 662 contacts.

A lot of fun and I managed to make two WY contacts 
which now makes all 50 states on 160.

Fun!

Gary ka1j