Depending on the contest, the ability to run as a smaller station can be
a challenge. I think the least likelihood chance for a garden variety
station to run is in CQWW where you are simply one of a huge crowd in an
everybody-works-everybody contest.
In focused events (WAE, IOTA, ARRL DX, and even WPX if your prefix is a
"catch"), many stations can indeed run.
With skimmer, things are more or less equalized which is a bonus for low
power stations owing to the effective ability to CW to cut through QRM.
Phone is a different story. Ay my QTH I have a fan dipole at about 75
feet that has a broad lobe northeast-southwest and a second fan dipole
at about 55 feet where the lobe runs due north-south.
Even with the USA guys being the "catch", I was only moderately
successful at running with one exception - I had a huge run on 15 meter
SSB Sunday morning. The rate was decent until 9K2NO spotted me and my
rate meter went from about 2 a minute to closer to 5 or 6 a minute. And
that is from my QTH.
Obviously, if you are one of about four QRV hams from a given entity,
you don't need to worry. You're going to draw a pile and a crazy one at
that. I always enjoy seeing the mid/late afternoon Sunday pileups when
an OX, a TF, a HP3, a 5H, or a CP shows up for the first time in a
contest. Sheer craziness for 30+ minutes.
73 Rich NN3W
On 3/8/2016 9:39 AM, Mats Strandberg wrote:
In CW I gladly try Run even with a small pistol station, but being on the
eastern side of the EU wall, trying to keep a Run frequency with 1 kW and a
reasonably effective yagi antenna is VERY hard (that will say on 15-80
meters). If 10 meters was open to the US, this would be a good band for a
small pistol to try some Run operation.
I did try, and succeeded a few times to keep Run frequencies on those bands
mentioned above, but sooner of later, an alligator (mostly from Europe)
will either jump directly on the frequency and steal it - or same type of
stations will place themselves 1-2 kHz away, with dirty amps and use the
fact that the station above is cleaner and less wide, and subsequently will
not disturb his 3 kW+ station.
I think this was my last attempt to work ARRL SSB from Moscow with my
relatively good but small setup. It simply becomes S&P at least 80-90% of
the time. ARRL CW is more fun and it is possible usually to find a Run
frequency (and keep it) somewhere high up on the bands.
If US stations would spot us smaller pistols a little more frequently, one
would in the best of times be able to keep the Run frequency for good runs
in 150-200+ rates. Without repeated spots (every 5 or 10 minutes), the risk
to be calling lonely without replies becomes evident, and some alligator
make use of the "free" frequency and just grab it in front of your nose...
That is the common life of a small pistol (kW with 2 or 3 element
monobander at 18 meters up) in Eastern part of Europe.
73 de Mats RM2D
2016-03-08 7:42 GMT+03:00 Stephen Bloom <sbloom@acsalaska.net>:
It's easy for me to say since in most contests ..I'm a Mult that people
want
..but I do think the little pistols should try running ..more than they do
..especially later in contests ..or slow times in general. If you are
operating in an assisted class ...during CW and RTTY contests ..call CQ and
see what you hit on the Reverse Beacon Network and how strong. Assuming
you
ping anything ..call CQ for awhile ..even if you don't get instant answers.
All it takes is one spot. It's tougher on SSB of course because you are
relying on being spotted ...but people will tune ..and again ..all it takes
is one spot. Almost all of us are automated enough to have a Run CQ Loop.
The closest thing for me is NAQP SSB ...where we're at a real disadvantage
up here ...especially on the Low Bands ..but even then ...sooner or later
someone hears us. I wouldn't encourage S&P only categories ...because I
think that will end up creating fewer Qs ..not more. What I *would*
suggest
is that lower power guys try running higher up in the band ..it's what we
do up here at the times where we know everyones antenna is pointed in the
other direction.
73
Steve KL7SB
-----Original Message-----
From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of
Scott Ellington
Sent: Monday, March 07, 2016 1:18 PM
To: cq-contest@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Your DX Spots during the ARRL SSB DX Contest
On 3/7/2016 13:59, Barry N1EU wrote:
And I'll repeat once more: We need an S&P only category in the major
dx contests! Give folks a viable option if they choose to avoid all
the out-muscling, splattering/key-clicking infringement,
might-is-right experience of running.
It would be nice, with or without the S&P category, if there were some way
for all the S&P operators to work each other. It gets really boring later
in the contest tuning the band over and over, hearing the same dupes.
73,
Scott K9MA
--
Scott Ellington K9MA
Madison, Wisconsin, USA
k9ma@sdellington.us
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