[VHFcontesting] How to order

[Bill Junor]

Well, I am one of the 2m FT8 QSOs that Jay made this weekend and I was happy to have it.  (BTW, it's not because my CW is rusty.)


Here, in NM, VHF contesting can be a bit of a slog.  We don't have the population density of the coasts, especially the NE, so we have to work hard to make a decent showing in a contest.  I'll take whatever contacts are on offer, even if they are FT8.  It's not my preferred mode but, if nothing much else is happening, then I'll work FT8. And this weekend, there was a lot of nothing happening.  I made about 80 contacts in 26 hours, mostly on MSK144.  There just wasn't much else going on.  I looked at the CW and phone portions of 6m occasionally but I only heard 2 or 3 locals on phone.


If the availability of FT8 brings operators into contests who would otherwise not be there, then this is a valuable service.  During relatively busy contests like the June VHF Contest, there's no requirement that you work FT8 (or any mode that doesn't interest you).  But, if you're working the contest seriously then you'll try to make as many contacts as you can, whatever the mode.


Bill / AI5I


________________________________
From: VHFcontesting <vhfcontesting-bounces at contesting.com> on behalf of Keith Morehouse <w9rm at calmesapartners.com>
Sent: Monday, January 22, 2018 9:44 AM
To: vhfcontesting at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] How to order

...or they should count for MORE because they take so bloody long to make.

When the band is open well, I can make 4-5 QSOs per minute on SSB.  The
absolute MINIMUM time for a FT8 QSO is 45 seconds and, in reality, it will
take AT LEAST one more sequence.  Remember that during the next contest
sporadic E opening.  If you're contesting, you need to decide if your
competing or just screwing around.

I like FT8.  It's a wonderful mode for casual operation and copies signals
right on down to the absolute minimum that can be done on CW.  I used FT8
this last weekend on 2M to make at 4-5 QSOs - one of which was 455 miles
long (...in the mountain west....in January).  So, I think it has great
potential for weak signal contacts when one or the other party is rusty on
CW and I'm going to be quick to suggest it's use for those 250+ mile 2M and
up paths in 1/5 the time of a JT65 QSO.

But it's snail slow if the band is open.

Now, someone is going to comment on how many Qs were made on 50.313 this
weekend !  My response to that is: THINK about those Qs and realize how
many of them could have been made on SSB or CW in 1/5 the time.  Again,
when you're contesting, are you competing or screwing around ?

-W9RM


Keith J Morehouse
Managing Partner
Calmesa Partners G.P.
Olathe, CO

On Mon, Jan 22, 2018 at 8:39 AM, Peter Laws <plaws0 at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mon, Jan 22, 2018 at 9:30 AM, Steve (K1IIG) <stephen.tripp at snet.net>
> wrote:
> >  AMEN on that. But if you can't beatem, joinem.
>
> OK, I clued in.  FT-8 et al.  Fine modes.  Excellent technology.
>
> Smells like cheating.
>
> At the very least, the QSOs should count for less.  :-)
>
>
> --
> Peter Laws | N5UWY | plaws plaws net | Travel by Train!
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