Topband: directional receive and contests

[Richard (Rick) Karlquist]

On 12/28/2015 9:37 AM, Jim Brown wrote:

> YES! Listen for more than 2 seconds after a CQ. It's really a bummer to
> call a station who has started CQing again before you've sent half of
> your callsign once! Switch directions often. Study propagation and try
> listening in different directions.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC

Very annoying, even for guys with short calls like Jim and me.
I don't know what the guys with 2x3 calls do.  A 2 second
interval doesn't make sense in the SP where you don't have
to worry as much about losing your run frequency as in perhaps
a major contest.  (SP is the BEST contest, but not the BIGGEST
contest:-).

To expand on what Jim said:

I set my auto CQ at 5 or 6 seconds, not 2 seconds.  Nevertheless,
a significant number of times per contest, I get a caller who
waits 5 seconds before calling.  I get 1 or 2 letters then the
auto CQ starts up and covers him up.  I get the impression that
these guys are waiting to make sure no one else is calling me
to make their move.  If not that, they are just clueless.  The
only legitimate reason for doing this is that you just tuned
me in and are typing my call into your dupe checker and you
are a VERY slow typist.  (4 characters in 5 seconds?).  Even
then, better to wait for the next CQ or just send "?" so I
know you are there.  When rates are low, like 10 per hour,
it is too fatiguing to keep 1 finger on the escape key at
all times.

OTOH, I run VOX (aka KOX) as opposed to break in or a foot switch.
(I am still running a very antique rig, an FT1000 (no suffix).
The break in CW has weight errors at contest speeds.)  There is
a slight (very slight) time delay before I hear.  It is a
big time waster when some eager beaver can't wait 100 milliseconds
to start calling and I don't copy the first letter of his call.
Half the time when I ask for a fill, he does it again and I
still don't get the first letter.  I've had to deal with these
guys by sending whatever remnant of their call I can copy
and then they will correct me.  More time wasted.
I never respond to a station instantly like that, but instead
wait just a tenth of a second or two.

Rick N6RK