[VHFcontesting] FT4 Mode

[Scott Armstrong]

The short answer...  yes.

I always go LP (100w) in most of the VHF contests because I can't compete
with the guy down the road that has the KW and stacked beams.  I find it
true lots of times when trying to work a run station that I end up waiting
in line to work the guy.
Usually because propagation is favoring some other area or has his beam
pointing somewhere else.

The flip side of that coin is also true.... If I try to get a run going ,
it is usually short lived and can't be sustained so find myself calling
endless CQs with no replies.   All this chews up the QSO rate.

-Scott AA5AM

-Scott AA5AM

On Thu, May 2, 2019 at 1:29 PM Jay RM <w9rm at calmesapartners.com> wrote:

> This is a interesting thought and one that I hadn't considered.  Do others
> see this when trying to answer a running station ?
>
> When I'm running a pileup, I work them until there is nobody left.  I know
> some have to call a couple of times and a small minority give up (usually
> right before there is total silence on the freq and they could have been
> heard Q5 - but I understand the rate thing very well), but 99% of the time,
> if you call me and I'm stronger then S1, I'll work you pretty quick.
>
> -W9RM
>
> Keith J Morehouse
> Managing Partner
> Calmesa Partners G.P.
> Olathe, CO
>
>
> On Thu, May 2, 2019 at 12:20 PM Michael Clarson <wv2zow at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Jay: The argument that SSB is so much faster than FT8/4 and stations
> > should switch to SSB when the band is open is not universally true. It is
> > if you are the station running guys on a specific frequency, but NOT if
> you
> > are one of the poorer equipped calling the running station.  When running
> > low power, it will often take 10 or more minutes to work a station on SSB
> > when the band is open -- I am competing with many stations with better
> > signals than me. But, on FT8/4, everyone gets decoded, and my rate
> actually
> > goes up. --Mike, WV2ZOWcom/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting
> > <http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting>
> >
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