Topband: 160m DX Activity Night

[Don Kirk]

HI Roger, I would like to share something that happened to me a little over
1 year ago on 160 meters that really upset me and it's related to this
topic (I have bitten my lip for a long time, but your recent comment gave
me the courage to come out in the open).  Below is a copy of an e-mail I
sent out to a station in Europe (call sign and country not mentioned to
protect the guilty party, and to also not reduce the number of calls other
stations in that country would then get).  The copy of my e-mail pretty
much explains the situation.

--------------------------------------------
"Sorry to call you today on 160 meters, but you were starting to get very
few callers (actually no one was calling you when I called as far as I
could hear) so I just called you to give you an idea that you were still
being heard in the Midwest USA with pretty good signal.  Matter of fact no
one called you after I did.

You said please don't call again because I was a dupe and that's the first
time (ever) that has happened to me in over 20 years on the top band and 40
years of hamming.  Looks like I worked you two previous times this season.

All the hams I have ever worked on 160 meters like to work the same
stations on different days (especially when things get slow) to help
understand band conditions.

Sorry, and I will try to remember not to work you again on 160 meters.

P.S.  I use paper log except for contests so sorry in advance if I make
that mistake again in the future."
-------------------------------------------

As a result of the above situation I have permanently posted the call sign
of the above station on a sticky label that looks me right in the eye every
time I operate, and it says not to work this call sign again.  I still spot
this station as a courtesy, but I will do my best to never work him again
(regardless of the band).

I am now very gun shy to work stations multiple times on 160 meters in the
same season, but with paper log it's not always easy to do.

Every time I see that "post it note" with the call sign of the station I
should not call, I get a little knot in my stomach (so to speak).

P.S. I never received an e-mail response back from the above mentioned
station in Europe.

FYI,
Don Kirk (wd8dsb)


On Wed, Jan 31, 2018 at 5:03 AM, Roger Kennedy <
roger at wessexproductions.co.uk> wrote:

> Well that's interesting that you even ask that !
>
> Personally, I get a buzz out of working ANY DX station on 160m, and North
> America is certainly DX on this band.
>
> And it doesn't matter how many times I've worked that station before, it's
> still an achievement to me (and as I don't use a Computer Log, unless it's
> someone I've worked a lot, I don't usually remember if I've worked them
> before anyway).
>
> As far as I'm concerned, working DX means a long distance contact (and on
> 160m that's anything over 1,000 miles) . . . I'm not even bothered about
> working a station on some rare island, when I could be working a station
> that's further away - that to me again is more of an achievement!
>
> In terms of whether conditions are good when you come on the band on a
> Wednesday, well you'd soon find out !
>
> I personally will come on tonight about 0000Z . . . usually for about an
> hour . . . and then again about 0300Z, to see if there's stations further
> west.  (there seems no point in coming on at our Sunrise, around 0730, as
> there is actually NO peak in signal these days)
>
> Roger G3YRO
>
>   _____
>
> From: Mark K3MSB [mailto:mark.k3msb at gmail.com]
> Sent: 31 January 2018 01:20
> To: Roger Kennedy
> Cc: topBand List
> Subject: Re: Topband: 160m DX Activity Night
>
>
> So what's the accepted practice of working stations again and again on
> 160M?
>
>
> If I've worked you once or twice in the past I won't answer your CQ, unless
> you're CQing with no responses, but then probably not.    I've found in the
> past that ops don't want repeat customers,  they want fresh fish.
>
>
> I've been doing other thingsin the shack and have heard EU stations CQing
> and CQing on TB but I don't answer as they're in my log quite a few times.
> Should I answer?
>
>
> 73 Mark K3MSB
>
>
>
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