[Moon] EME Contests
Peter Blair
g3ltf at btinternet.com
Wed Dec 2 19:10:20 CET 2020
Interesting post Ben,
Like you as a CW op I am happy to use the logger to announce my CQ frequency
and to give a bit of help on stuff like doppler when needed.
However you prompted me to take a look back at the history, not the
in-out-in-out hokey-cokey of ARRL and "assisted operation", but how do the
number of QSOs compare pre and post digital?
Take 144MHz. From 1988 to 2000 there were only 3 years when the top station
made less than 300 QSOs. By comparison the top station in 2019 with the
benefit of digital and SDRs and chat rooms made a total (CW+digi) of 231 (
in 2018 214)
For 432MHz from 1988 to 2000 the top station made over 120 QSOs, the peak
year being 1994 with 180 QSOs. I chose 120 because in 2019 the top station
made 121
For 1296MHz, comparisons are much more influenced by the big improvements
in rx technology but even so, in 2000 the 100 QSO total was reached, last
years top score was 125.
There is no question but that digital has increased interest and bought lots
of new folk in to EME but it doesnt seem to have made much effect on the
contest scores. To me its strange that with digtal, SDRs and chat rooms we
seem unable to make more QSOs than in the contests than 30 years ago.
I think my stats are correct but if there are errors please point them out
(politely).... and now I must get back to my log entry
73 Peter G3LTF
-----Original Message-----
From: SM6CKU via Moon
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2020 2:36 PM
To: moon at moonbounce.info ; moon-net at mailman.pe1itr.com
Subject: [Moon] EME Contests
I have been a HAM for 60 years, a professional radio operator for more than
20 years and I have been on EME since 1975, so I feel qualified to comment
on EME contests. Before the digital modes became popular we were only on CW
and/or SSB. It was easy and there were no chat rooms available, not even a
SDR. You tried to work everyone heard and it was lot of fun.
Now, with digital modes, chat rooms and SDR’s, it all changed. That’s why I
don’t compete today. CW/SSB should be one class and Digi-modes another one,
regardless of bands. The important issue is about the chat rooms, should
they be allowed or not? In my world you cannot call it a contest if some
stations are using the chat room, others not. Bob, KA1GT, suggested that
ARRL could change the contest to Activity Weekends, and that is fine with
me, but there are already a lot of them. Otherwise I agree 100% with Bob.
CW vs Digi-modes is no issue for me, I will be where the activity is. But if
we want to continue with contests they should be separated! What about chat
rooms in contests? I don’t think you can close them during a contest, so
what to do? How many digi-QSO’s will be made without them?
Don’t get me wrong, I use the logger all the time, not for completing a QSO
but I often announce my presence. My challenge, with a reasonably “big”
station on 23cm, is to work those who are new to EME and others with small
antennas or low power, who just want to work me. On other microwave bands I
probably belong to the other side….
I will be around whatever you may decide – but not competing
73 de Ben SM6CKU
--
Detta e-postmeddelande har sökts igenom efter virus med antivirusprogram
från Avast.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
_______________________________________________
Moon mailing list
Moon at moonbounce.info
/mailman/listinfo/moon
Join eQSL.cc https://eqsl.cc/qslcard/Index.cfm
More information about the Moon
mailing list