I have often wondered if anyone really "owns" a frequency when they are not
engaged in a QSO. In the case of a propagation change - and if someone is
actually in a QSO - then it would seem they would have a better claim on
the frequency than someone who is calling CQ. This is probably somewhat
different if the person who was calling CQ contest has 3 or 4 stations
calling him all of the time.
Another possible factor is how crowded the band is. This has to do with
what part of the band the contest activity is taking place and where the
QSO is happening. If the QSO is in the thick of the contest activity,
the contester could QSY - only to be replaced by some other contester.
Most contesters would love to be able to have a frequency with no QRM if
they can find one. It might be that the frequency where the rag chew is
taking place it more useful than any other frequency they can find at that
time (if this isn't a case of each other's signals being very loud).
QRM happens in a contest. QRM management is a big part of contesting.
A little fish that happens to make a couple of QSOs probably doesn't fight
much when a big signal shows up nearby and has a fast rate. Ragchewers
tend to have less tolerance for QRM - and will have an easier time of it
if they stay away from the part of the band where the contest is happening.
Where this falls apart is when the ragchewer has no knowledge of the contest.
They might stray into the thick of the contest, still having their same QRM
expectations that they enjoyed the Wednesday before.
One of contesting's worst moments is 0001z in a phone sprint. This contest
takes over a band with little warning and is structured so that the QRM to
casual QSOs is almost guaranteed in the thick of the activity. True, the
same thing happens on CW, but in a much smaller scale and who but the FOCers
ragchew on CW anymore anyway.
I have a hunch that during the CQ 160 contest coming up, an east coast
station that can't hear me very well will start CQing on my frequency, and
lots of other east coast guys will start working them - and I will lose the
frequency. Not much I can do about that - or expect to be done.
And if anyone is still confused about the decline in amateur radio numbers,
I think the trend is actually in the opposite direction. Many people who
never had time for ham radio are now retired and are joining the ranks fairly
briskly. The real problem is the aging of ham radio operators. The reason
for that is very obvious to me - the world is a much different place. The
idea of being able to talk to someone on the other side of the world just
isn't that big of a deal any more. Heck - 14 years ago, I found myself
playing bridge with someone in China as my partner using the internet.
I feel that contesting is actually a special interest within ham radio that
has some potential to attact new hams. While there are internet games, it
seems that the concept still would be appealing.
73 Tree N6TR
tree@kkn.net
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