Topband: ARRL CW Contest

[Roger Kennedy]

There are obviously SOME stations that come on during a Contest to actually
enter (or at least to see how many points they can get if they sent their
entry in) . . . 

However, I would wager that the majority of stations you hear in a Contest
come on just for a couple of hours, to try and work a few stations, just
because there is activity.

That is especially true on 160m, where often people just don't bother coming
on, as there aren't many stations there to work !  It really is Catch 22 . .
. That's why I am forever trying to encourage people to come on the band on
CW . . . if more people come on at the same time, there WILL be Activity,
i.e. lots of DX QSOs to be had.

Given the effort required to put out a decent signal on Top Band, I was
amazed this weekend how many stations I worked that I've never heard on the
band before . . . what a waste of all those big antennas !

I know some of you on here aren't interested in working a station multiple
times . . . but I would say that the majority of us get a buzz out of EVERY
DX QSO on 160m, regardless of how many times we may have worked a station
before.

Roger G3YRO