Topband: Narrow Filtering

[Gary Smith]

> In a contest (particularly in a contest),  it doesn't make sense to 
> have filters any narrower than 500Hz.   Why should other stations 
> have to work like crazy to get into YOUR notch?  We all have 
> ears.  Is it that difficult to use the human filter that's between 
them?   Steve
> _____

in a word: Yes.

This answer applies to me, not to you, we all have our own reasons to 
make a judgment. Yours & mine may coincide but here they diverge.

If you enter a contest to win but at all costs within the rules, you 
will submit to whatever is necessary to eek out those last possible 
multipliers and Qs and plan your attack so you will maximize the 
points possible to beat my and everybody elses score... Absolutely 
nothing wrong with this approach.

Me on the other hand, I see the contest as non aggression but 
cunning. I don't expect to get the maximum possible points but I do 
want to make a call, be heard and then move on with the least pain 
involved. 

Some people like to be at the top of their class, it's a drive either 
instilled by someone along the line or it's innate; doesn't matter 
why, it's there and this person needs to have the best score, the 
best statistics or they are angry. 11 years of college on the Deans 
list but I never fought for a point. I didn't care & all I was there 
for was to get my degrees & be gone. these people challenging every 
"wrong" answer raised their Blood pressure & I raised my beer...

Same metaphor with the contest... You can run your filters as wide as 
you feel necessary to catch every possible contact and I suppose if 
you were running the frequency that would be necessary to maximize 
points. Me... if I did that and listened to a contest with a wide 
filter for two days, I would have tinnitus and be an evil SOB till I 
got my sleep and recovered from the stress.

SO for ME, not anyone else... My game is not to win but participate 
and have fun. I S&P  with my filter at 100-150HZ till I've run the 
band 8-10 times and then I'll find a spot nobody yells at me for 
asking QRL and I'll open my filter to 350Hz or so & call CQ till it 
slows down & then back to S&P at 100-150Hz.

There were very few fixed stations in this last contest that were not 
dead on. Most that were off were the EU stations, very few from 
stateside. I have no idea why that might be but I found it the case 
at this time.

So I guess it depends on whether you want to go head to head with 
Mike Tyson or if you just want to enter the ring & jostle shoulders. 
With my setup, I'll never win against someone with $100,000+ in their 
Antenna farm & contest station, I'm in there with wires over the 
trees for my antenna & just to have fun only & to make Q's for those 
who want an award. 

All that said that if I opened my filters wide enough to copy every 
off frequency station & have to deal with the cacophony of a contest 
for hours on end & everybody 250 HZ on both sides of me, it would not 
be fun for me and I wouldn't do it.

That's why I don't use the "Human filter" between my ears for the 
duration of a contest.

And again, this is MY reason. It applies to nobody but me except by 
chance they feel the same way as I do.

Gary
KA1J

__________________________________________
> UR RST IS ... ... ..9 QSB QSB - hw? BK
>