[VHFcontesting] 50.125 ..yes, but what about 144.200?

[Duane - N9DG]

--- Tim  Coad <timcoad at excite.com> wrote:

> 
> There might be a problem with 50.125... but the one that
> bugs me is the problem where people are glued to 144.200
> during the contest.

Yes I see this a lot and I don't understand why people think
that clinging to .200 is competitive. It hurts your score to
do so.

Here is an analysis that I did of my January 2004 log that
shows that ~50% of my Q's and mults were made >10 kHz away
from .200:

http://lists.contesting.com/archives//html/VHFcontesting/2004-04/msg00022.html


> Here in the SF bay area you can call CQ for 1/2 hour on
> 144.190 or 144.210 and not have a SINGLE answer...then move
> to 144.200 and get a pile up during the contest.

Not quite that bad here in the upper midwest but this
situation is frustratingly common. And it isn't the serious
contest competitors that are guilty of this. It is the
casual, and newer ops who tend to be most guilty of clinging
to .200.

What I'll do when I can't get any takers on a freq removed
from .200 is call on .200 and announce that I'm at freq
"144.xxx" and then only answer on that frequency. Works
generally OK. I even do that frequently during band
oppenings. That is how I made the ~1100 mile tropo Q's to the
Tampa area last Novemeber. Many of those who clung to .200
didn't make the long haul Q, they were still fighting an
unwinnable QRM situation on .200. For them the 1000-1100 mile
DX was buried under the 600 mile DX.

> 
> We all have VFOs dont we...? It is like the "good" old days
> with 4 qsos going on at a time on 146.52...

Good old days???? ;)

> 
> And tell me, why do some people work a new station and move
> them to the calling frequency on another band...if you are
> moving a station, I would not move them to 50.125 or
> 144.200, if you do chances are you are moving them on top
> of 2 or 3 QSOs already in progress...

Yes indeed, that's another puzzler. I hear people with their
brand new "all mode, all bands in a box" radios doing this a
lot. They meet up on a repeater somewhere and then decide to
give VHF SSB a shot. They then pick a calling frequency as
thier first choice to go to.

> 
> But yes, I think I like the advice someone gave, we need to
> lighten up and be happy to hear people on the bands...I'd
> rather hear 4 simultaneuos Q's on 144.200 than none. If
> thats the way it HAS to be...

I'd say it is "attempts" at 4 simultanous Q's. Often they
don't suceed thanks to the QRM. 

Duane
N9DG


       
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