> FOURTH: Use full QSK. It becomes quickly and sometimes painfully
> obvious when callers aren't.
I disagree for two reasons:
1.) The largest problem is people HEAR the other stations calling and
continue to call in an effort to be the last one heard. Watch and see how it
works! Better everyone just learn to send their call once or twice and then
shut up and wait for a response from the DX station. All QSK or VOX does is
allow the people calling to check to be sure they are still the last one.
Very few (if any) DX stations pick out the last caller.
2.) Some rigs, like the IC775DSP, put out an annoying loud thump when the
VCO's switch. Instead of one leading thump you get multiple thumps hammering
away. As a matter of fact ICOM told me the only way they could repair some
problems with a 775DSP I had was if I was willing to give up QSK.
Other rigs, especially when used with external relay systems, chop the first
dit and even truncate the rise times.
http://www.w8ji.com/relay_timing.htm
The real solution certainly isn't calling people names or telling them how
to set up the radio, the real problem is simplex operation in pileups and
the bad but common habit of trying to be the last one calling.
I can tell you exactly why the long calls happen. It is rooted in two
reasons:
1.) Some people call until the final long calls finish, so they are calling
until the end of the pileup. The reason is very obvious, if they call early
with only one or two calls the other guys calling and calling would cover up
the DX station and they would never hear the reply.
2.) Some people call long so the big swarm dies off, thinking this will let
them get through the big mess. This also extends the pile up time.
What really happens is it becomes an unintentional "race" to see who can
call the longest. QSK, VOX, and everything else won't correct this. No one
wants to standby when the QRM level is so high the DX station can't be
heard.
Either everyone in the world would have to agree to finish calling within so
many seconds, or the DX needs to go split. Nothing else, including personal
insults or name-calling, will work.
What would help is if the stations who have worked KH6 9000 times and don't
have a compelling reason to answer the DX just would not call the stronger
DX when the band is wide open. I understand if the DX is a ragchewer and
likes to work his buddies, that's an exception. I understand if he is
collecting data (like signal reports on an antenna) that is also an
exception. But if he is just "running stations", rather than ragchewing with
friends or testing something, it is obvious he must be trying to work as
many new people as possible. It makes sense for those who can work that
prefix hundreds of times a year to just shut up and let someone who can't do
so work him under the rare exceptional conditions.
I think we all need reminders from time to time, and don't need to resort to
insults.
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