Not another corntest!!!

[W1ATR]

Not another damn corntest weekend!! Didn't the slopbuckets just have one last week? How much practice do they need anyway?

Just got home, flipped on 3885 to see who's around, and bam, half a dozen buckets cornholing each other with someone close to my qth (s9+50) as the "pivot boy/butter runner.

Oh well, lets see what unfinished project the bench has sitting on it.

[W3SLK]

Yeah some bozo was on 1881 tonight cooing the corntest diatribe. I thought he was a week late and a dollar short. First he started before 0000 Zulu and secondly, I don't think anyone came back to him other than the guy who told him his signal was splattering up and down the band, (it wasn't me honestly!).

[Pete, WA2CWA]

International DX Contest (Phone)

[k4kyv]

International DX Contest (Phone)

A real waster of spectrum, QRM generator and a convincing argument against subbands in the US.  On 80m the DX is below 3800, and much of it below 3750, where US amateurs, unlike the rest of the world, are forbidden to operate. 

So the DX station announces that it is listening for US contacts on say, 3881.  You have an instant pile-up of SSB idiots calling the DX station, without first listening on their transmit frequency.  Any ongoing QSO that happens to be on that frequency gets clobbered.  Chances are, the DX station couldn't hear the ongoing QSO anyway.

Unless you live right on the coast, it is futile to try to outstrap the slopbuckets.  They are not  listening on your frequency, and chances are, you won't outstrap them because they will be substantially closer to the DX station than you are, over a saltwater path.

I recall reading something about a memo from Riley, particularly in reference to 40m, saying that working DX on split-frequency is illegal unless the US station listens on his transmit frequency to make sure it is clear before transmitting. 

[W3SLK]

Pete said:

International DX Contest (Phone)

Okkkkkkk. But I'm curious to wonder as to 1) why this guy was so far up from the DX window on 160; and 2) Knowing that the early bird catches the worm, but I would have thought to wait until the band opened up so that signals had a chance to get to where ever? By his own admission, he doesn't do sideband that often, (I never heard him on AM), that was his excuse as to why his amplifier was mis-tuned, splattering up and down the band.

[W3SLK]

Don said:

I recall reading something about a memo from Riley, particularly in reference to 40m, saying that working DX on split-frequency is illegal unless the US station listens on his transmit frequency to make sure it is clear before transmitting.

If that is indeed true, than I wonder why it is legal to work, lets say a repeater on 10m FM? Or is it legal or a legal wormhole?

[WA3VJB]

Some of our Canadian AM counterparts ought to set up as QRO on 3750 and advise US stations there's a QSO underway on 3880 or wherever, and please STFU, er, I mean, QSY.

[Tom WA3KLR]

And then there is the CQ WW SSB WPX corntesticle the weekend of March 25 and 26.

[WB3JOK]

Ya, as soon as I fired up the HW-101 this morning on 20 and heard wall to wall "CQ contest... you're 5 by 9, but I couldn't make out your call" I knew there was another damn contest on. Like the joke about stapling one's testicles goes, I couldn't lick'em so I figured I would join'em  With my 4 ft. loop I "worked" (exchange of signal report and callsign) a station in Bermuda and one in the Virgin Islands on 20, and on the 15m attic dipole, Prague and the Dominican Republic. Not bad for a barefoot Heath transceiver in northern Maine, 20 and 15 were really wide-open today... but because of the contest I couldn't find anyone to chat with, or even find a hole to call CQ 

Anyhow (AMfone content ahead  ) I sometimes hear an AM broadcast in French right around 21.450. Does anyone know what that station is? I thought all the foreign broadcasters were occupying 40m...
-Charles

[k4kyv]

The "13m" shortwave broadcast band begins at 21450 and runs to somewhere about 21800.  The French-speaking station was probably "Family Radio," a Bible-beater out of Florida.  They can be beard transmitting on about that frequency in French, Spanish, English and German and other languages.

[ve6pg]

...FB IDEA...I CAN RUN MY KW AM CARRIER ON THE LOWER PORTION OF 75,AND WERK U GUYS TRANSMITTING ON THE HIGHER END...WOULD'NT THAT CREATE ALOT OF PISSED-OFF "DIPOLE IN A BAG" OPERATORS....WHY DONT WE HAVE A CORNTEST SOME WEEKEND..."CQ LEFT-HANDED DENTISTS",OR WHATEVER...AM FROM ONE END OF THE BAND TO ANOTHER...EVERYONE TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING ON DIFFERENT FREQS...!!!....SK..

[W9LBB]

...FB IDEA...I CAN RUN MY KW AM CARRIER ON THE LOWER PORTION OF 75,AND WERK U GUYS TRANSMITTING ON THE HIGHER END...WOULD'NT THAT CREATE ALOT OF PISSED-OFF "DIPOLE IN A BAG" OPERATORS....WHY DONT WE HAVE A CORNTEST SOME WEEKEND..."CQ LEFT-HANDED DENTISTS",OR WHATEVER...AM FROM ONE END OF THE BAND TO ANOTHER...EVERYONE TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING ON DIFFERENT FREQS...!!!....SK..

Yep...   I agree! 

It's time to fight fire with enhanced nuclear radiation...     

First off...   how about a contest on 160 and 80 only that's ONLY open to retuned AM
broadcast transmitters? That oughta make a pretty big splash, especially those rigs that
have a VFO patched in to replace the crystal oscillator!      Call it the "RCA Rumble" or
something like that...   or the "Gates Grabass" or the "Raytheon Wreckage"!

Next...  a contest for ALL bands (except 30 meters, of course) that lets the less
stentorian rigs fire up and have at it for DX.
 
Just imagine...   every Halliscratchers, Collins, Johnson and Heathkit out there calling "CQ
AM DX" for a SOLID WEEKEND! SSB contacts count for ZERO points! And for the weekend
the "Gentlemen's Agreements" about AM frequencies go right down the toilet...   the
WHOLE DAMNED PHONE BAND is fair game...  just like for the slop bucket contests!

Hell...   some of these contest freakos might even go out and find somebody to rebuild a
Valiant for them so THEY can join in the fracas too!   

I personally could care LESS about contests; when I was a kid I'd work CW Sweepstakes,
and sometimes get the urge to go out on Field Day. IMHO contesting seems to bring out
the VERY WORST in some of the morons amongst us; not only manners (such little as still
exist on the ham bands) suddenly vanish when a contest starts, but following regulations
and maintaining technical standards goes out the window too. A couple of years ago I was
BCB DXing, and in the new, expanded portion of the band I heard an automated "CQ
contest" call going out on CW from a neighboring state. The signal was clearly a spur; VERY
nasty and rough. I ran down a telephone number for the station involved, and called to
let him know that he had a problem with his rig. His reply...   "So What? Why are you
bothering ME with this shit? I've gotta get back on the air and get some points...   
goodbye <<CLICK>>".  And the hammering restarted on 1803 and 1660 KHz...

I was tempted to place another call to an FCC monitoring station, but thought better of it;
let THEM find him and deal with the Pink Tickets.


Well...  an AM contest is something to think about. What's sauce for the goose is gravy for
the TURKEYS!     Hell...  I might even fire up the old Globe King 500 and hand out a few
points...   


Mr. T., W9LBB

[Pete, WA2CWA]

...FB IDEA...I CAN RUN MY KW AM CARRIER ON THE LOWER PORTION OF 75,AND WERK U GUYS TRANSMITTING ON THE HIGHER END...WOULD'NT THAT CREATE ALOT OF PISSED-OFF "DIPOLE IN A BAG" OPERATORS....WHY DONT WE HAVE A CORNTEST SOME WEEKEND..."CQ LEFT-HANDED DENTISTS",OR WHATEVER...AM FROM ONE END OF THE BAND TO ANOTHER...EVERYONE TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING ON DIFFERENT FREQS...!!!....SK..

Yep...   I agree! 

It's time to fight fire with enhanced nuclear radiation...     

First off...   how about a contest on 160 and 80 only that's ONLY open to retuned AM
broadcast transmitters? That oughta make a pretty big splash, especially those rigs that
have a VFO patched in to replace the crystal oscillator!      Call it the "RCA Rumble" or
something like that...   or the "Gates Grabass" or the "Raytheon Wreckage"!

We have that now. It called the Heavy Metal Rally. Check ER Magazine.

Next...  a contest for ALL bands (except 30 meters, of course) that lets the less
stentorian rigs fire up and have at it for DX.
 
Just imagine...   every Halliscratchers, Collins, Johnson and Heathkit out there calling "CQ
AM DX" for a SOLID WEEKEND! SSB contacts count for ZERO points! And for the weekend
the "Gentlemen's Agreements" about AM frequencies go right down the toilet...   the
WHOLE DAMNED PHONE BAND is fair game...  just like for the slop bucket contests!

Just imagine...........................?

You can operate AM anywhere in the phone band, as per your license class.

[W1ATR]

Maybe we should start having the Heavy Metal Rally every other weekend, or once a month.

The winner could be determined by they're points total for the year.

Maybe we could get yaecomwood to donate a nice shiny new ricebox for 1st place....to be run over with a nice big 4 wheel drive BY the 1st place winner.

Ya think they'd go for it??

[KB2WIG]

??    New York State Heavy Metal QSO Pfarty.. then VA, then CA ..... 50 states 52 weekends.....             .....    klc

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Maybe we should start having the Heavy Metal Rally every other weekend, or once a month.

The winner could be determined by they're points total for the year.

Maybe we could get yaecomwood to donate a nice shiny new ricebox for 1st place....to be run over with a nice big 4 wheel drive BY the 1st place winner.

Ya think they'd go for it??

Most “serious” contest stations are only really on during contest times, so to them, it probably doesn’t make much difference how many “heavy Metal Rallies” you have. Most good contesters possess excellent skills operating under adverse QRM type conditions and can easily notch and null adjacent channel interference. And, most likely, you couldn’t get enough “heavy metal rigs” operating simultaneously on several bands to make much of an impact.

[John Holotko]

Maybe we should start having the Heavy Metal Rally every other weekend, or once a month.

The winner could be determined by they're points total for the year.

Maybe we could get yaecomwood to donate a nice shiny new ricebox for 1st place....to be run over with a nice big 4 wheel drive BY the 1st place winner.

Ya think they'd go for it??

Most “serious” contest stations are only really on during contest times, so to them, it probably doesn’t make much difference how many “heavy Metal Rallies” you have. Most good contesters possess excellent skills operating under adverse QRM type conditions and can easily notch and null adjacent channel interference. And, most likely, you couldn’t get enough “heavy metal rigs” operating simultaneously on several bands to make much of an impact.

Hate to say it but it's true. Like it or not most contesters are quite skilled, have excellent capabilities, and can easilly contest over, under, between, through or around the strongest AM signals as if it wasn't even there.l.   Face it, there's no contest between the contesters and the non contesting AM'er. The contesters have us beat. The best thing we can do is either join em  or simply clear out of the way  and let em have their fun. The way I see it the contesters are not on all the time, they only come on during contest  time so let  the contesters have the band during contest time. Case and point, I was going to get on the air this weekend but as soon at I heard "CQ Contest" I simply shut down  and said,"to heck with it". I'll simply come back when there is no contest on. Hey, if contesting is what keeps the hobby alive then for the few times I have to stay off the air for a contest is no big deal and is a small price to pay.  For the few times a year  the contests are going on it's no big deal

[WA3VJB]

Yes it is a big deal John, it's rude, its disruptive, and if any other group were to have this kind of impact there'd be Holy Hell to pay.

One potentially effective countermeasure would be to pressure the publishers who sponsor the damn things.

Part of it would be many of us calling and questioning, then escalating to confrontation for action and resolution.

The other part of a carrot and stick approach would include a visible effort to improve rules compliance, draw regulatory attention, and consider petitions for rulemaking.

It's clear the contest organizers and participants feel they can do this with impunity. A few complaints are the cost of doing business. To elevate that cost to a sufficient level may tip the balance toward restraint rather than the wild, screaming interference bystanders now have to suffer.

[John Holotko]

Yes it is a big deal John, it's rude, its disruptive, and if any other group were to have this kind of impact there'd be Holy Hell to pay.

One potentially effective countermeasure would be to pressure the publishers who sponsor the damn things.

Part of it would be many of us calling and questioning, then escalating to confrontation for action and resolution.

The other part of a carrot and stick approach would include a visible effort to improve rules compliance, draw regulatory attention, and consider petitions for rulemaking.

It's clear the contest organizers and participants feel they can do this with impunity. A few complaints are the cost of doing business. To elevate that cost to a sufficient level may tip the balance toward restraint rather than the wild, screaming interference bystanders now have to suffer.

I agree with you Paul. But we have to do something about it in a collective way. It's not going to make  much difference if only a  few of us contact the contest organizers to discuss this. We have to do it as a collective group asy ou point out.  And I'll admit, although I am not on the air as often as a lot of the guys who post here I'd be more than willing to do my part to contacxt these contest organizers. It is indeed rude and, just imagine if we as AM'ers did anything with nearly such imact, they'dscream bloody murder at us. The behavior of many contesters is indeed rude and I firmly agree, we need to handle it via making our opinions hears, collectively as well as throiugfh rulemaking changeand rules compliance. And, true to our words we should get  started on doing what we can.

[WA3VJB]

Mark I want to make sure it is not the operating event or activity that I'm questioning. It is the clear violation of rules against interference. These incidents are actionable under peer pressure and FCC regulations, and I'm ready to support an effort to shine a harsh light on it. Contest interference is among the most frequent "chronic" situations prompting complaints from bystanders. A pack mentality is easy to observe among contestors, many of whom seem to think we all should "enjoy" their competitive event. In effect, they are forcing their activities on the unwilling, and that's something a reasonable person can understand, including whether a protest is warranted and whether it should continue to be tolerated.

The number of weekends it takes place is not relevant, as if that somehow justifies allowing it.

John, I agree that it will take more than an isolated number of complaints. I said as much in my posting to which you replied. Organizers of these events count on a small number of people motivated enough to question the rampant, wild screams, and so far, it has been for them an acceptable cost of doing business.

Raising that cost may prompt a review and action.

[W2INR]

Paul,

Why not poll the users here to see how many would like to send a message. The larger the numbers the better our chances. Can we find other modes that feel the same about this to make this more of an across the board problem than a mode issue?

We could put together a rubber stamp complaint letter for our users to use if warranted.

[WA3VJB]

Gary,
This is one of the few times that there is no specific issue for "AM."

It makes sense to build a coalition of non-contest operators who feel this has risen to a point of needing action.

A poll here would cater to the AM community, maybe it makes more sense to post it to QRZ.com and SPAR, among two internet-based groups who are very active and vocal.

[John Holotko]

John, I agree that it will take more than an isolated number of complaints. I said as much in my posting to which you replied. Organizers of these events count on a small number of people motivated enough to question the rampant, wild screams, and so far, it has been for them an acceptable cost of doing business.

Raising that cost may prompt a review and action.

Paul, I accidentally referred to you as "Steve"  in my previous response.  In case you were wondering who was the "Steve" I was referring to it was one of my mistakes.
 

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Scott, NØIU, just answeedr a post on QRM that also relates to the contesting issue. He sums it up fairly well on the issues of contest banning or contest operating segregation.
The complete post is here:
http://www.qrz.com/ib-bin/ikonboard.cgi?s=aaaca2c547573ee210968ce76b20cb61;act=ST;f=7;t=116377;st=10

Some of the highlights are:

NØIU said: OK, lets say you actually do get the ARRL to banish all contesting forever. Congratulations! Your work is not done, it has only just begun. You can’t just stop with the ARRL. Because no one owns the frequencies, you have to go to the other major US contest organizer, CQ Magazine. Here is their contact information:
CQ Magazine
25 Newbridge Road
Hicksville, NY 11801 USA
Phone: (516) 681-2922
Let us know how that turns out.

Now you can’t just single out these two contest organizers because that would be discriminatory and that is already illegal. Let’s see who else organized contests in the United States in February and March:

Ten-Ten International
Digital on Six
Arizona ScQRPions
The Adventure Radio Society
FISTS International CW Club
The Old Man International Sideband Society
Antique Wireless Association
Colorado QRP Club

There were also QSO Parties in the following states:
Minnesota
Delaware
Vermont
Northern New York
New Hampshire
Louisiana
North Carolina
Wisconsin
Oklahoma
Idaho
Virginia

Since it would be impractical to conact every contest organizer to get them to stop contesting, it would have to come from the FCC in the form of changing Part 97. They can't even decide when or even if they will abolish Morse code testing so I am sure they will jump right on your proposal to abolish contesting.

OK, so lets say you do manage to get the FCC to outlaw all contesting. During that same period, there were contest organized by organizations in Mexico, Canada, England, Netherlands, France, Ukraine, Spain, Germany, Russia and Kuwait. They don’t have to follow FCC regulations. Since you can’t stop with the FCC, you have to go all the way to the International Telecommunications Union. The international treaty governing the use of the radio-frequency spectrum are made at World Radiocommunication Conferences (WRC) which are held every two to three years. The next one will be held in Geneva, Switzerland from October 15 to November 9, 2007. You have about 19 months to get your revisions on the agenda. Here is their address:

International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Place des Nations
1211 Geneva 20
Switzerland
Voice +41 22 730 5111
Email: itumail@itu.int

Better get busy. You have A LOT of work to do!

Until you get the ITU to abolish contesting world wide, your only choice is to keep a log of everyone who hinders your enjoyment of ham radio and submit formal complaints to the FCC.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

For those who want to get into the contest spirit, here's the March list of contests:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/months/mar.html

And for April:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/months/apr.html