Topband: Am I the only one in step?

[donovanf at starpower.net]

Hi Ed, 


Despite your experience, Europe can't call you on 1811 LSB either... 


Operators in those European countries with SSB priveleges 
below 1840 can only call you on a suppressed carrier frequency 
of about 1813 otherwise they're transmitting significant energy 
outside their 160 meter ham band. 


73 
Frank 
W3LPL 

----- Original Message -----

From: "Ed Sawyer" <sawyered at earthlink.net> 
To: topband at contesting.com 
Sent: Tuesday, March 1, 2016 8:46:00 PM 
Subject: Re: Topband: Am I the only one in step? 

It is common practice in the CQ WW 160M Contest for CQing on the NA and EU 
side to occur in the 1810 - 1825 range. I was doing so twice in the contest 
last weekend. It was pretty much every 3khz CQing in the range both Friday 
and Saturday nights including NA and EU CQing stations. For the last 5 or 6 
years, as far as I can remember, this has been the case. 



I had a number of EU stations call me Friday night between 23 and 00Z plus 
well over 100 NA callers. I was on 1811. 



I had dinner then came back and heard no one in the region of 1811 around 
0130Z. I started CQing. I was immediately told that an ET was below me on 
CW (in SSB). So I stopped, listened, heard the ET7L station listening up. 
Stopped and worked him on CW in about 3 calls for a new zone on 160 (ya!) 
and then went and CQ'd somewhere else. I swept by that pileup over an hour 
later and it was still clear of SSB - so whatever was being attempted was 
working. 



ZF2AM was down CQing around 1806 and there were 3 or 4 other CQing stations 
within 1810 - 1800. I never CQ down there because EU can't call you. 



There are really only 3 contests heavy with SSB on 160. ARRL DX SSB, CQ WW 
SSB, and CQ WW 160 SSB. WPX is zero, FD is essentially zero, and IARU is 
essentially zero. Maybe NAQP? Not sure, don't really do those. 



Is this really a problem? I don't think so. 



Ed N1UR 

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