Every contest QSO needs a CQer and an S&Per, and successful stations need to
devote time to each. I live in a state (Utah) with a relatively small
number of active contesters and an even smaller number who are willing to CQ
and run. We have made ourselves relatively rare in contests that use states
as multipliers. My station is just average, but I have been involved in
many serious SOABHP efforts over the years, and since I now happen to be a
key multiplier, ARRL DX has always been one of my favorites. Contesting did
stop being fun for me a few years ago so I am now "retired" and rarely
devote more than just a few hours to each contest.
I learned long ago that many stations and multipliers on the DX end are
unwilling to CQ and I therefore need to CQ myself if I want to log them. I
cannot run most of the time, but there are times when I can (when I'm loud
enough to get their attention on the other end). So, I ALWAYS make sure
than I'm on and running when I know that I will be loud (morning European
openings and afternoon Asian openings). Those are the times when I am able
to log the S&Pers on the DX end, and that group always seems to include many
juicy multipliers that are unwilling to CQ themselves and would be otherwise
unavailable to me.
It works both ways. Guys in states like mine need to CQ to make themselves
available to the DX S&Pers. If they don't, the DX CQers are the only folks
who will log them and the S&Pers will be out of luck. I got on for just a
short time this year, and immediately after my first CQ I found myself
trying to manage a humongous European pileup (and not doing a very good job
of it). That told me, at least up until that point in the contest, that
there had not been many CQs coming out of Utah.
Don, NN7ZZ
-----Original Message-----
From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Ed
Sawyer
Sent: Tuesday, March 08, 2016 5:16 AM
To: cq-contest@contesting.com
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Have SSB Contest become the "most pure" contests?
Its ironic, that because of the digital characteristics of the CW
transmission, its been sucked into the processed and distributed world of
the internet and changed the face of contesting. Skimmer and RBN have
changed the need to tune as certainly someone has picked up the signal and
broadcast it before you've discovered it. Only the unassisted op is tuning
by and thankfully is competing with others doing the same. However even
those have benefitted from the efficiency of the process as everyone can
find you now. The challenge is now, using the system and dealing with the
onslaught when it comes.
However, in SSB, it's a different story. You are not instantly spotted.
People can and do tune by and discover you, before a crowd has shown up -
just like the old days. Its fun to see on both ends. I CQ'd A LOT in last
weekend's contest - about 85% of the time. And there were sometimes 10 or
15 mins before I was spotted. What was the rate? It depends, but at least
half the time it was over 100 an hour. People were searching on their own
and found a new one - Vermont. In one case I probably worked 20 - 25
stations before the "spotted" gusher came. Some of those stations were 5 W
or 100W with very low signals. Would they have made the Q chasing spots -
not easily - maybe not at all.
What was the pleasure experienced on both sides of these "natural Qs"?
Wonderful for both sides. Probably had 300 over the weekend that I could
tell based on the "gusher delay". Of course there could be many more of
unassisted ops tuning by at any time, but you can't tell then.
The one that I enjoyed most was the JA run on 15M Saturday. I worked
probably 20 JAs in nice orderly fashion, with only a few competing during
the process. Then the onslaught came. Evidenced by familiar Multi Op
callsigns. Many of those first 20 struggled with English and had 50 or 100W
powers. I worked probably 75 JAs in that run. Good for those first 20 for
finding me and getting into the log.
Ed N1UR
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