Phone Contest This Weekend - Nov. 17-19

[Pete, WA2CWA]

For those with thick skins and/or short fuses, the Phone Sweepstakes contest is this entire weekend.
Interesting exchanges like:  W2QZQ would respond to KB1ZQY’s call by sending: W2QZQ 842 U KB1ZQY 54 WNY
Try this for 24 hours straight. But, no 5-9 needed
If you want to gear up for this, info is here:
http://www.remote.arrl.org/contests/rules/2007/novss.html

[Ed/KB1HYS]

Hey!  If it's a phone contest, that would include AM!!!

Should get some kind of multiplier for lack of frequency agility....

[k3zrf]

Figures, my weekend at home.

Thanks Pete.

Guess I'll guzzle a bottle of that 'Jack" youse guyz have been talking about on another thread.

[k4kyv]

I'll just turn up the wick.

[WA1GFZ]

should be a cold enough weekend to do some antenna work and test.

[WB2EMS]

Hmmm, How about holding a simultaneous contest of our own? Lets all download MMSSTV and set up DSB AM SSTV beacons say every 5 Khz up and down the band. Beacon continuously for the duration or until your shack is good and warm, while tuning up and down the band to see how many other pictures you can log with a separate receiver or during brief breaks. The winner is the one who copies the most pics. 

Not any sillier than what the rest of them will be doing. Most of these contests remind me of using Ping on the computer and about as interesting.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Figures, my weekend at home.

Thanks Pete.

Guess I'll guzzle a bottle of that 'Jack" youse guyz have been talking about on another thread.

And grab one of these things to pass the time away:

[k4kyv]

I will  look for refuge on the extra class portion of 75, at 3600-3700, and on the top end of 160m.  Most of the QRMtest operation will probably (or at least hopefully) be above 3700 and below 1900.

Maybe this will create an incentive for the AM community to become re-acquainted with the newly-expanded phone portion of 75/80m.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

During the last corntest, the 3885 area was far less crowded than the 3600/3700 portion. Remember, the corntesters want to use frequencies that the Euros can also use. 3885 is not one of those.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

During the last corntest, the 3885 area was far less crowded than the 3600/3700 portion. Remember, the corntesters want to use frequencies that the Euros can also use. 3885 is not one of those.

Sweepstakes:
Object: For stations in the United States and Canada (including territories and possessions) to exchange QSO information with as many other US and Canadian stations as possible on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meter bands.

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Errr. Looks like all the freqs might be hosed!

[WA1GFZ]

75 just died a quick death

[k4kyv]

I listened about 0030 GMT and heard plenty of qrmtest activity, most heavily between 3800 and 3850.  There were a couple of AM QSO's holding their own in the Ghetto, with a little qrmtest QRM that wasn't really bothering anything.  There were a couple of AM QSO's just above 3700 and one QSO below.  The frequencies were completely clear with no sign of qrmtest activity at all.

Later, the activity below 3750 had dwindled.  I tried calling CQ on 3685, but after several calls, got no response, so I came back to the house.  May try again later this evening.

Further evidence that the overall level of ham radio activity has dropped down, with one of the biggest slopbucket qrmtests of the year in full swing and still open spots on the band.  We'll see how things look later in the evening.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Further evidence that the overall level of ham radio activity has dropped down, with one of the biggest slopbucket qrmtests of the year in full swing and still open spots on the band.  We'll see how things look later in the evening.

Phone band expansion didn't come until after last year's Sweepstakes was over might be a reason why there are some open pockets. At 9:30 PM EST, 75 was in full swing with lots of contest activity from about 3950 down to 3650. Even 160 had lots of activity even at 1883 KHZ and 1889 KHZ. 20 meters is dead so that leaves 40, 80 and 160.

[N3DRB The Derb]

I will turn my 4 smoking hot 572b's to this matter tomorrow. All Creepstakers will be terminated.

[k4kyv]

Later in the evening it was pretty solid qrmtest all the way down to 3600.  But some open space near 3880-85. Monitored a couple of AM QSO's with good signals and little QRM.  Lot of non-qrmtest activity above 3900. Plenty of open space on 160 above 1900.  Slopbucket qrmtesters were staying clear of 1800-1840 CW hangout.  QRN more of a nuisance than the qrmtest.

[WA3VJB]

Time to fire up the cart machine:

The Frequency is in use !

The Frequency is in use !

The Frequency is in use !

(no stop tone)

[W2JTD]

I'm in Seattle without an rx. Good time to be here. - JTD

[W2JBL]

best damn Sweepsnakes i ever operated by a ton! held court with K2PG, and others on 1885 Quirm free from 10 PM to about midnight. very low contester nitwit factor, much to my amazment. had the R390 opened up to 8KC most of the time.

[AF9J]

Yeah, I noticed that the majority of the time, 3880-3890 was clear.  7290 seemed to stay pretty clear too.

Ellen - AF9J
QRMtester at large

[k4kyv]

I don't know if it was the phone band expansion or if slopbucket qrmtests are losing their zing, but I was able to pretty much operate normally with minimal hassle.  I noticed the same thing with the Pennsylvania QSO party, which used to be one of the most obnoxious qrmtests of all.  During the CW Sweepstakes which occurred earlier in the month, the cw bands were packed with signals.  I would say there were more cw qrmtesters than slopbucket ones.

I don't object to CW contests; at least the participants get to hone up their CW skills.  But I don't see any benefit whatever from turning the knobs of a ricebox all the way to the  right and yelling at the top of your lungs into a microphone "CQ quarmtest, CQ quarmtest..."

At least the slopbucketeers weren't exchanging those ridiculous "five-nines" in this one.

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

I think band conditions had a lot to do with it, Don. Seems like they liked to flock around us in hopes of attracting attention to their calls. There were plenty of empty frequencies they could've been using.

Was having a good chat with Pete 'CWA and W1JUS when some corntesters moved to within 1.5 kcs of us and started in. I asked them to move followed by Al VE3AJM with his big strap from north of the border. We ended up just talking over them.

Unfortunately I lost Pete and 'JUS in their splatter (corntest mode = 5kw amp and processor turned to max (11)). So Pete, c'mon back down and join us sometime with the CE set up! Al has some questions for you on the CE gear, and I'd love to hear it on the air.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I think band conditions had a lot to do with it, Don. Seems like they liked to flock around us in hopes of attracting attention to their calls. There were plenty of empty frequencies they could've been using.

Was having a good chat with Pete 'CWA and W1JUS when some corntesters moved to within 1.5 kcs of us and started in. I asked them to move followed by Al VE3AJM with his big strap from north of the border. We ended up just talking over them.

Unfortunately I lost Pete and 'JUS in their splatter (corntest mode = 5kw amp and processor turned to max (11)). So Pete, c'mon back down and join us sometime with the CE set up! Al has some questions for you on the CE gear, and I'd love to hear it on the air.

Well, I got the dinner bell right after my last transmission. Homemade hamburgers with bacon and cheese and side dish of corn-on-the-cob are hard to resist.

I got to move some stuff around, because I want to set up the Flex for some combo HF/VHF work in the same spot where the CE is located.