Topband: RBN and cluster spots

[Jim Brown]

I completely agree with your logic, Steve. Living in NorCal, I set 
CCluster to give me manual, RBN, and Skimmer spots from receivers west 
of the Rockies, KH6, KL7, and W3LPL's aggregator. The frustrating thing 
is that I rarely hear EU stations that are spotted on CW. When running 
FT8, I spot to PSKReporter and use it to see where I'm being decoded.

73, Jim K9YC

On 3/9/2020 12:45 PM, VE6WZ_Steve wrote:
> Hi Mike…
> 
> My logic is that I want to see ALL spots…especially those from EU skimmers.
> 
> Why?
> 
> First of all I want to use my own radio to decide if I can hear them.  My own RBN skimmer will only decode a small fraction of what I can copy with my own ears.  If my RBN skimmer is spotting any EU, then the band has to be REALLY open, but I am often working a lot of EU and my skimmer is spotting nothing.  Also, I can be working EU, and not have any EU skimmers spotting me.
> 
> Secondly, when I CQ, I want to know the QRG is clear in EU.  By seeing all EU skimmer spotters, I will know a frequency is clear of CQing.
> I really wish more EU ops would do this.  Many times it has happened….I am CQ on 1822.2…..EU station starts calling CQ on 1822.  Well….he cant hear me, but he should know I’m there, and him calling CQ on that QRG is bad for HIM because not many in NA will hear him with me CQing there!  Same with me.  If I start calling CQ right beside LY7M who is CQing, my chances of being heard in EU have been handicapped.
> 
> More information is always better in my books.
> 
> Especially in DX contests I will turn the NA spot filter on.  I don't want to be flooded with NA spots.  I want DX, non-NA spots.