And why is that so often QRP stations go to great extend screaming
"QRP" (on phono) instead of their callsign, as they should? Unless QR
is a new country prefix, I don't see the point in doing so. Would like
to hear the average pile-up screaming "QRO", and then what station
should you reply to? ("The QRO station, go ahead")
Fortunately, we don't suffer from this "QRP-QRP pleeeeease"-syndrome
on CW, just as CW is still spared from DX-nets, lists, SSTV,
"oooolllaaa" and "last-two".
<snip>
>In a way, QRP is harder on the receiving station, who has to dig the
>signal out of the mud.
<snip>
QRP stations can bring an entire pile-up to a virtual standstill. Ops
at the RX end indeed dig out the "first-two" (uh-oh) but then it takes
a while to fill the gaps, with signals just at - or mostly below -
noise level. I tend to stick to the station I heard till I've got the
call complete. Never give up is the motto (that is, outside a contest;
having the rate succomb to copying a microscopic underground signal
for 3 minutes during a contest is another story; then
new-mult/zone/rate/etc-considerations come into play).
The QRPer will finally log his contact thanks to the willing op at the
RX end, who in many cases has to turn up the volume 3 notches and
stick his ear in the loudspeaker, or at least push the earphones with
both hands closer to the ears. All this at the [propagation] time
expense of others. With all due respect to the QRPer's efforts, and
maybe all of this is a thrill to QRPers, but to the DX/RX-end of a
pile-up QRP could be destructive to a good going rate.
All the forgoing assuming that the QRPer is in an area with good
propagation to the DX station, but in spite of that he's still below
waterlevel at the RX end.
Yet another story is when there is no propagation: that is when QRO
becomes QRP, and QRP becomes QRT.
CU in WW CW somewhere near 14.030.
73, Alex D25L (my #1 choice call, 1st day)
(aka PA3DZN, WH2L, 9X5EE, 9Q2L, 9R1A)
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