""They only work in foreign nations" and on VHF/UHF frequencies except during band openings and contests."
I have never had a problem conducting a conversation with a friend even during a VHF/UHF contest. (There are a few ops I only find on during such events.) FM calling frequencies are respected. Band occupancy is high but civility is the order of the day. Sure there are a bunch of mountain toppers calling CQ contest but there is plenty of room because only a small part of the bands is CW/data specific. Occasionally there is a propagation shift and more distant stations find themselves on the same frequency as other ops . . . then someone moves . . .
All this without the pie being cut up into regulatory fiefdoms and all this in North America XE, VE, W . . . all living, communicating, and working together. Great example!!
Pete, I don't find you in my VHF/UHF logs for the past couple of decades. Have you operated any VHF/UHF contests?
-ap
I have to admit the VHF/UHF contest activity generally is more civilized, under typical propagation type conditions, then what you hear on the HF bands. However, contest activity during a Sporadic E or F2 opening can turn 6 into bedlam. When we had the second sunspot peak around 2001/2002, almost every day from October to early January on 6 meters sounded like 20 meters during a contest. I would suspect that the majority of us die-hard 6-meter operators just pasted it off as the nature of the excitement. Having to tell the station in Norway, that you’re working, that they’re being somewhat QRM’d by a station in Germany can be a surreal event on 6 meters.
I haven’t submitted a “single-op” contest form in a number of years. Most of the time when I’m operating single-op, I’m doing self-testing. i.e. how many stations can I work in 15 minutes, in an hour, QRP, 1 direction, etc. I’ve also operated in several multi-multi setups here in Jersey and in New England over the last several years. Most multi-multi groups are “serious” contesters. No beer bashes here.
