[UK-CONTEST] CQWW CW GW8IZR

[paul at greenrover.demon.co.uk]

Dave Lawley wrote:
>> Spent a fair bit of wasted effort calling auto cq'ers while their owners 
>> were off making coffee or working mults, SO2R might be good from your 
>> end of the deal
> 
> If you're single op then transmitting two signals simultaneously isn't
> allowed. Most SO2R setups (including my own) have an interlock to
> prevent it, and if someone calls me while I'm working a mult I will
> switch back and make some sort of reply, because if I don't I risk
> losing my run frequency!
> 
> Dave G4BUO

On reflection I should have said unattended auto CQ rather than singling 
out SO2R.

I suppose in the past SO2R, auto cq and M2 etc .. were less common, of 
course these days its easy to set up. Perhaps as a result of this ease, 
less competent users are having a go with the technology.

Holding a run frequency is clearly important but there is no doubt that 
some stations leave their keyers, voice or otherwise running while they 
are off doing other things. In both WWSSB and WWCW I heard long periods 
of CQ at fixed time intervals, these generated some fairly protracted 
pileups with no answers, no ?, no qrz etc.. it's inconceivable that the 
operator wouldn't have got at least part calls during this time so I'm 
in no doubt that he wasn't there. Some time later the op returned and 
carried on working.

Whatever interlocks you employ won't stop this as its clearly an 
intentional practice?

During WWSSB on 160 an OL stn was cq'ing for some 35mins during which 
time literally dozens of calling stns arrived on frequency, called a 
number of times and then left. I know it was 35 mins 'cos that's how 
long it took to solve a software problem that I was having - so was just 
listening to it all happen.

As I said, this might be ok from the run stations point of view.

So, is this practice considered acceptable? if so it would make finding 
a gap in AFS easier . Just turn the amp on, spin the dial, set auto cq 
repeat to 1.5 seconds, wait ten minutes and start using "your" frequency?

Doesn't seem right to me.. but then I never felt the desire to beat up 
smaller kids either :-)


-- 
73 de Paul GW8IZR IO73TI
http://www.gw8izr.com