Speak Out: Contesting Etiquette:
A contributor states, "I enjoy contests and sometimes enter them seriously and sometimes just like giving points to fellow amateurs. But to sit right in the 80 meter DX window (or beside it) with 1000 watts and a 4 square may not be illegal but it is just plain wrong! The powers to be just seemed to brush it off, but "winning" at any cost is not my idea of amateur radio. If the amateurs in charge of these contests won't disqualify these people from working in (or on top of) DX windows, nets, SSTV etc, we should. We should hold these unethical contesters to task; don't give them an unsolicited report, don't answer their CQ call if they're sitting on (for example) 3.801, if they are interfering let them know. Again, I think contesting is a great part of Amateur Radio, but not at the expense and advantage of everyone else. What say you?"
110 opinions on this subject.
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WB8UHZ on 2009-10-18
W5GNB
Well stated, all you have to do is listen to those "professional" operators doing their contest thing this coming weekend. The best I've ever heard is a very rapid inquiry, that sounds like those special fast talking commercials where they get 1 minute of disclaimer information stated in 2 seconds " is the frequency in use". Then one second at best later, CQ contest. God, contesting brings out the real professional operators. That the best scenario, usually a contester just fires up on top of you and away they go. I've listened to numerous QSO's and nets in PROGRESS and a contester will fire up right on them or just a bit off frequency. Also there is the great example that we have also experienced from these "professional operators" when they work spit, but they FAIL to LISTEN to their transmitting frequency. Lets all of us "nobody" non-contesters listen to all the good contest ops this weekend so we can be enlightened about the proper operating skills needed to be a fine upstanding amateur.
73
W5GNB on 2009-10-18
Well Folks,
The infamous CQWW contest is on for this next weekend (Oct 24-25) so let's all take a listen to the "Professional Contest Operators" and just see how considerate they are of anyone else on the bands.
I just can't wait for the Mayhem to begin!!
73's
Gary - W5GNB
W1IT on 2009-10-18
Anybody as annoyed as I am with the poor operations of the midway DX event.
Its takes really hubris to use over ten kilohertz and light up the entire east coast with QRM, everytime he stands by for stations.
Also the so called 59-59 goodbuddy is so phoney. Just tell the station 3/3.
KJ7BS on 2009-10-18
Quote [WG7X on 2009-10-17
Sure did not take long for this one to degenerate into a mud throwing contest...
As totally expected by the "contributor"... also known as a troll, that started the original mud fest.
OH, wait a minute... The trolling was totally supported and released by the site admins themselves!
That alone says volumes about e-Ham.
73... I guess...]
Then why are you still here?
Troll or not, the original poster raises an excellent point. During contests, manners and common decency go out the window leaving the bands mostly unusable for those who don't contest.
Contesting is a lot of fun and very challenging at times and I do enjoy them.
Mark, KJ7BS
Glendale, AZ
WG7X on 2009-10-17
Sure did not take long for this one to degenerate into a mud throwing contest...
As totally expected by the "contributor"... also known as a troll, that started the original mud fest.
OH, wait a minute... The trolling was totally supported and released by the site admins themselves!
That alone says volumes about e-Ham.
73... I guess...
KE7UXE on 2009-10-16
...That which is not illegal is legal....
Cringe. Didn't we just here this from a bunch of mortgage bankers?
There is no rule that says contestors need to be polite. But it would still be the polite thing to do. Just because something is legal doesn't make it right.
The bands are not suffering from too little use these days and I have never had a conversation on the radio that I would not have gladly interrupted if asked nicely. So. The other day on 20 meters I asked "Is this frequency in use?" before calling CQ. A petulant voice ansered "Yes go away." What do you think I heard about one minute later....cq contest, cq contest, cq contest....
There was no call for that. If I had decided to tune up right then there are few people who would have thought it unjustified. I learned about ham radio from two great gentlemen. Polite and helpful. It is too bad that they are a vanishing breed.
The real lesson I have taken from all of the acramony is this. Everytime someone is rude on the air they don't know who is listening. It might be a young person trying out the hobby under the eye of his elmer. Everytime we run someone off from the hobby we step closer to being the last ham.
K3YD on 2009-10-16
Contributor said, "But to sit right in the 80 meter DX window (or beside it) with 1000 watts and a 4 square may not be illegal but it is just plain wrong!"
1. That which is NOT illegal . . . is legal.
2. Sounds like a bit, or a lot, of envy to me. (Oh I can't have a 4-square or a kilowatt so nobody else should either.)
I am proud to say I AM A CONTESTER. I have contested with everything from QRP to KW; from random wires to 6-el Yagis.
However, some of my greatest joys and best memories have come from successes with modest equipment/antennas running against the "Big Guns." Brute force is one way to succeed, but skill and persistence work, too.
See you in the pileups!
N2RRA on 2009-10-16
WB8UHZ,
Thank you for the good wishs!
73!
AD7QQ on 2009-10-16
I like it when the contests are on. I find it helpful to assessing the propagation,as stations identify frequently (listening to rag chewers to find out where they are from is often difficult- rare ID and then very fast so it's difficult to know what they say.) Also as someone already noted, its a time to really get to know your receiver, and I also get great satisfaction getting through a pile up with my dipole and 100 watts. The nets and rag chewers are often (not always) unfriendly to unfamiliar voices. I'm sure those who report bad contest behavior are correct, but I've personally not had problems except for the QRM tune up noise crowd.
NI0C on 2009-10-16
WB8UHZ wrote:
"only 2% of active hams participate in contesting as a first or second priority and you can see the problem this small insignificant minority of "radio sport" people create."
I do not see a problem here at all. A bigger problem is the huge number (probably 50% or more) of licensed hams who never pull their cars out of the garage (using your driving analogy).
73,
Chuck NI0C
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