I was in the basement, cutting up some cardboard boxes for the recycling pickup tomorrow. To dispel the quiet and to have something to listen to, I turned the radio on.
I worked K6K/MM on 17 Meters. My friend Bob W3BBO worked them last night on 20 Meters and let me know that these folks are the DXpedition that is heading to Clipperton. I worked Clipperton back in 2000; but that was with 75 Watts (QRO). I will try again; but QRP this time (of course).
From there, I tuned up into the SSB portion of 20 Meters. I figured I would listen to either some guys chewing the rag, or some guys working DX. I ended up listening to guys try and work some DX. To be honest with you, I don't even know who or where the station was. He was working simplex and the pile up was not huge; but he wasn't calling CQ, either. He had enough stations to handle.
Why do people insist on calling a DX station when they can't adequately hear him? I ask this, because there were guys throwing out their calls, while the DX station was still in QSO with the previous station!
It seems to me, that if you can't hear the DX station well enough to know that he's still talking and hasn't finished ...... what makes you think that you'll hear him come back to you? Do these folks think that propagation is going to magically improve so that a 2X contact can be made?
I'm not getting just on the SSB guys. It's no better on the CW side - heck, it's no better in the QRP Fox Hunts! I can't tell you how many times guys just keep throwing out their call signs over, and over and over until you want to tear your hair out. Call signs being spewed out when the Fox is in the middle of making a contact with someone else.
If you can't hear THAT, why even bother to try to work them? Unless you can hear him well enough to respond to you, it seems to me that you're just setting yourself up to be thought of as a Lid by your peers.
That old saying holds true - "You can't work 'em if you can't hear 'em." But maybe we should also add, "You shouldn't try to work 'em if you can't hear 'em!"
Just sayin'
72 de Larry W2LJ
QRP - When you care to send the very least!
Good evening Larry, that's why I think working split is a bit better. You can at least with filtering tune out those who continue to call over and over again. But I guess if the offending station is smack on the DX (not clicking into the split idea) it can be hard to follow the DX and who he is working and when he is listening.
ReplyDeleteHave a good week Larry
Mike
Yep, it's all about controlling the pile by rewarding positive behavior. That is, behavior you want ...like calling up 1, only NA or the 5XZ stn ONLY! But if the DX station gets off track and caves under pressure and answers a rouge caller who calls when he's not suppose to then others will join the mess! My once mentor told me it's like a room full of 3-yrs and you gotta make them behave or it's bedlam! And you got the candy that they want. It's up to you dool it out in an orderly fashion. But there's always the spoiled brats who can't play by the rules ...go figure! Fun being FOX/DX! ...Says, Peanut
ReplyDeleteyes, I know... I hear it every day and still I'm wondering why. 73 Paul
ReplyDeleteListening is THE key to working DX. Calling without listening just creates QRM.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why guys do it, but I've even heard some guys on the honor roll do this. Yeesh. They make things difficult both for us and them.