Topband: Outing The Scofflaws...

[Rick Kiessig]

I'm not a dxpeditioner, but even so I frequently find myself on the
receiving end of pileups, particularly with EU. The behavior of some callers
occasionally makes the process very painful. It's also much more work than I
think some people understand. Callers who end with "enjoy the pileup"
actually rub me the wrong way. While there's a definite satisfaction that
comes out at the end, "enjoy" isn't really the right word for the feeling
that the dysfunctional callers provoke.

Some folks not only give their calls repeatedly, they don't wait for a
response and so end up talking on top of me, or they still respond when I
ask for a repeat on a particular partial that's not theirs, or they only
give a few letters of their call. I've noticed a number of callers who give
out parts of their call that make it sound like they might unusual DXCC. A
ZL DXer friend of mine has taken to only responding to people who give full
calls. I considered that, but even when they give full calls, I very often
will only catch a partial due to the pileup. And when I do call someone,
they still often call on top of me. I had one last night where I must have
called the guy five times, and he doubled with me every time. If they're
calling, you would think they might actually want to hear when I respond.
Some seem to enjoy the chase more than the catch.

So, for the dxpeds, who probably have a hundred times the number of people
calling as I do, all I can say is: I have some sense for how much work it
is, and I'm thankful they are willing fight the crowds (and I'd love a few
tips!).

73, Rick ZL2HAM (ZM1G)