Like many of you, it's about time management & your goals.
Good contesters will ADAPT to the situation.
Sometimes I do a :
CQ VE9AA TEST
sometimes TEST VE9AA..when things are real slow, maybe a longer CQ.
When I've just done a "CQ VE9AA TEST", some of the time I'll get a simple
"?" back in response.
This tells me the tuner-by (unassisted guy, who knows how to use a VFO knob)
has only heard none (or part) of my call and the word TEST. (or maybe just
part of the word "TEST" for all I know.
Instead of greeting them with a 2-3 second delay and doing another CQ, I
always respond instantly with just "VE9AA".
This nets me Q's in a lot of cases. I suspect if I let them wait for
another CQ cycle, they're already gone. Of course, it stands to reason,
earlier in the contest this works better than later on when I've worked more
folks.
If I'm the S&Per (using my VFO knob, as I am normally Unassisted) and I hear
"snap-crackle-pop TEST" and send a "?" in response, only maybe 20% of the
time do I just get a call in return. I usually have to wait for first the
delay, then another CQ cycle. Usually if the delay is too long, I'm already
gone.
Why don't people know about performing this time saving procedure of
replying to a "?" with your call?
Everyone's different. That's part of what makes it fun.
CU (all of a sudden) in the next one !
Mike VE9AA
Mike, Coreen & Corey
Keswick Ridge, NB
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