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RE: Contest QRM!!!
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by W4UDX on November 1, 2007
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Nobody forced you to leave ham radio... surely there is someone you can talk to 5 days out of seven?
I frequently encounter what I assume to be rude drivers on the road. Should I just stay home instead of going on that nice drive on a fall weekend?
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RE: Contest QRM!!!
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by M5FRA on November 2, 2007
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Nice analogy but do you encounter drivers who are in a 'contest' and say that they don't have to obey any rules of the road on that day? They can drive at any speed, do not have to even consider other road users go anywhere they want and do not have to conform to the any rules at all just because they are in a 'contest'. NO? So why should contesters think they can do what they want irrespective of internationally agreed band plans?
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RE: Contest QRM!!!
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by M5FRA on November 2, 2007
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I forgot your other point. Most people work 5 days a week which leaves the weekend for hobbies. It is totally frustrating to try to make contacts during the weekends because of lunatic contest ops all over the bands. The advice is to go and do something else when contests are on. When the 'something else' becomes the preferred and more attractive activity at weekends people leave amateur radio. The usual response from contesters is a pathetic 'it's only a few weekends a year'. In Europe there is contest QRM every weekend. So, like many others, I gave up trying to battle through the contest crap every weekend. Yes, the contest bullies have won .... for now.
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RE: Contest QRM!!!
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by GW4ALG on November 2, 2007
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> If many of you have such a clear negative opinon of
> contesting.... why are you reading and responding to
> this thread on a contesting themed website???
Possible explanations:
(1) Those searching on Google by 'contest' and QRM' are directed right here; and,
(2) The number of radio amateurs impacted and displaced by contest QRM far exceed the number of contest participants.
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RE: Contest QRM!!!
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by VE7ABC on November 3, 2007
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The battle continues. Rag chewer vs net operator vs contesters etc.etc. This battle is almost as bad as the cw/non-cw battle. I've yet to find a weekend where it is impossible to operate because of some contest or another. There always seems to be room in the spectrum for me to operate. Even during the big one, CQWW phone or cw, there is always a spot for one to operate. Yes there are lots of stations on the air, and some are very agressive with booming signals. My solution if that is the case, is to either move, or join in the fun, or use the magic "OFF" button. My life will continue even if I'm unable to meet up with so and so on the must be there net. I've worked countries that normally are not found on the air, but are because of contests. So for some of us there are benefits because of the contesters (DXCC, WAZ, WAS, IOTA etc)and I believe that a lot of NON PARTICPATING stations seek these contest stations out to chase awards. I've had the privilage of being able (albeit a short time, thanks to Ernst J69AZ) to operate from J6 land during the CQWW phone test one year, and I think a lot of the stations worked, just wanted to work J6 land and weren't actively in the contest. I also had the chance to watch V26B in actions (thanks Sam WT3Q and group) and came to the same conclusion.
I do contest myself in a small way, 100 watts typically to a triband beam at 15 meters. Contesting has allowed me to push 270 countries with this meager station.
My 25 cents worth.
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RE: Contest QRM!!!
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by GW4ALG on November 3, 2007
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> This battle is almost as bad as the cw/non-cw battle.
>
May be, except that the 'cw/non-cw' issue is more about how an individual operator chooses to participate within the hobby.
On the other hand, the 'Contest QRM' issue is about how a minority, single-interest group ignores the spirit of amateur radio and international band plans so that they can amass more points than the next guy. They have no respect for other users of the amateur service.
> I've yet to find a weekend where it is impossible to
> operate because of some contest or another. There
> always seems to be room in the spectrum for me to
> operate. Even during the big one, CQWW phone or cw,
> there is always a spot for one to operate.
>
This is not the case in Europe. Previous contributors to this thread have already made this quite clear. SSB; PSK; and RTTY contesters have no regard for band plans; or experimenters; or ragchewers.
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RE: Contest QRM!!!
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by VE7ABC on November 4, 2007
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>May be except that in the cw/noncw issue is more about how an individual operator chooses to participate within the hobby
Participating in a contest or not is also an operators choice.
I find it really hard to believe that there are not open spaces to be found on the bands. Last weekend during the CQWW contest, I found regular QSO'S going on on 20 meters and the NOON TIME net on 40 was also going on, this despite the biggest and most active contest of the year was in full swing. In the evening here, 80 meters had the usual nets going with little or no problems, and I noticed that there were probably more rag chewers on 80 meters than there were contesters. By the way, other than the DX CLUSTER, there was just the usual action on 2Meters, and the 440 band was also quiet, so there were lots of places to carry on QSO'S.
The spectrum we have at our fingertips is huge and there is room for all, dx'ers contesters, nets, rag chewing etc.etc.
Enjoy
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RE: Contest QRM!!!
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by GW4ALG on November 4, 2007
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That sure does sound fine.
In Europe, it's totally different. For a start, the broadcast stations on 40m means that we can only use up to about 7.1 MHz before we hit the megawatt BC band. And I suspect that you also have more space on 80m too (we get 3.5 to 3.8 MHz here).
But you're right: we can always use the 'OFF' switch if we don't want to join the robot operators screaming '59' at each other. The point about this thread is precisely that: More and more radio amateurs are going QRT and finding other, more worthwhile, ways to spend their time. I presume that this is what the contesters want?
Regards to all,
Steve GW4ALG
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RE: Contest QRM!!!
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by NQ3X on November 9, 2007
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Steve, I respectfully submit that you presume incorrectly in several of your points.
First, contesters welcome newcomers and the casual contester and the fellow who makes only a few contacts with open arms. Were it not for those fellows, radiosport would be boring as hell. Plus, the bands would be dead on weekends, too, just like during the week. 'Cos yeah, there's such heaps of operators on all the time.
Second, everyone could use more space on 40. And with current trends in SWBC regulations, the broadcasters are leaving.
Third, in the vast majority of jurisdictions, bandplans are VOLUNTARY. Here in the US, our bandplan is delineated by Federal regulation, which has the force of law. Most Europeans, as I understand it, aren't breaking any laws with their contest operation.
Fourth, most contest ops are like me - when we make mistakes, we feel bad about them, own up to them, and strive to do better. For example, in the last CQWW test, I inadvertently failed to turn the "split" function ON in order to call a bloke in EU. When he told me I was actually calling on his transmitting frequency, I shut the hell up and hit the "split" button, whence I called him again, apologized, and could hear the chuckle in his reply. We all make mistakes.
Are there jerks who happen to be contesters? Sure as hell. Are there jerks who use legal-limit output power to carry on a conversation with a guy less then a hundred miles away? Sure as hell. (That's contrary to US regulations, in case you're wondering.) Are there net ops who jam? Sure. Are there DXers that happen to be jerks? Listen to any pileup for a semi-rare country.
Last, realize that *serious* contesters, like DXers, tend to be Type-A personalities. Such personalities tend to clash with other, less assertive personalities. That leads to the sort of personality conflicts we're having here.
The short solution to this problem? Spin the VFO. Find another mode. Use a WARC band. The shorter solution? Shut the radio off.
What gets me all sorts of upset is when people start trying to piss in someone else's beer.
Which use of foul language is caused by the irksome horsecrap of another poster on this thread. M5FRA, this next is for you.
You give me the willies. I'll explain why in a bit.
What gives you the right to deny me my fun? *I* haven't stomped on one of your ragchews. I, like any other *responsible* sportsman, would move if we heard, "yes, the frequency is in use." So you want to ban all contesting and contesters? Who left you in charge?
I just cannot wrap my head around people who have their knickers in such a bunch that they quit a hobby, then troll a message board, sniping at the denizens thereof who really *are* interested in the subject matter of that message board, all the while claiming such loathing of the subject matter and its adherents as to compare with Tomas de Torquemada's loathing of heretics. The mind boggles. Are you just bored? Did a contester run over your cat? *Something* rather massive must have happened for you to climb up onto the cross like that.
Whatever the reason, it's more than a little creepy.
Anyway, what do you do when there's a rare DX station on? Did you invade a DXer's message site and bitch about the idiocy of the Scarborough Reef pileups, moan about the death of the hobby, how the bullies kept driving everyone away? While I cannot confirm it, I think not.
So c'mon. Come down off the cross. We can use the wood for something else. Whatever you do, just stop the bleedin' trolling.
Later,
Bob NQ3X
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