My 1 CQ WW complaint

I posted this and realized it may be in the wrong forum. Moderator: If this is in the wrong forum, please move it and I apologize for the error.

So, the CQ WW DX contest was this past weekend, as I'm sure you know. I did my usual tuning around working stations and I heard a lot of DX (which I like) but there was also a fair amount of stateside stations. Especially on 15... Now, I know that it is mainly a DX contest but I am in zone 4. The US is also zone 5 & zone 6 so I need those zones too as mulitpliers. I hear stateside stations that only call "DX" or change they're CQ string to calling DX after I return their call. It's like they don't want to work me because I'm not DX but I need their zone (4, 5 or 6). I didn't get a lot of these zones because this kept happening and after a while, I ignored stateside stations... In my contest program (N3FJP suite), working another zone in the same country doesn't count as QSO points but it does as a multiplier. Therefore, these stations are depriving me (& their fellow stations) of a multiplier and points! Why do people do this?? I can see if you are working a pileup of DX... I wouldn't really bother you but if you are just calling CQ and nobody is answering???

That's my only CQ WW DX contest complaint. I still had fun even though I didn't put as much time into it as I wanted. It was nice to hear 10 meters open again.

 

Were they calling CQ Contest? If not those people may just have been folks working on a DXCC or whatever and not contesting at all.

 

Yep. In 2 examples where I returned the call, they were calling CQ contest and then instead of answering me, change to CQ DX. Maybe they didn't hear me but everybody else seems to hear my 200 watts...

 

Was this early in the contest and did they have a steady stream of callers? If so my suggestion is to hold off until you find somebody thats not busy running DX stations to pick them up for the multipliers, Sunday is a really good time to do this because most rates have slowed and you will certainly find people in the US zones that aren't very busy working DX.

 

CQ WW is primarily a DX contest. To get zones 3, 4, and 5 the usual strategy is to work Canada.

Lots of hard core contesters do not want to work stateside early on in the contest because they are zero pointers and if you answer one then the callers all become stateside, which is not the point of the contest.

Later on, when the piles have diminished a bit, you might find that the hard core guys will work you for the mult. Especially on Sunday afternoon.

73 Gary

 

I noticed this mostly on Sunday, actually. If I were calling CQ, it wouldn't matter to me but I just let the points come to me. I'm no serious contester but if I concentrate and put in the hours, I can get a respectable score. And when I did try to make a contact with stateside station, it wasn't while they were busy...

 

I waited till Sunday and when I heard stateside people calling CQ more than a few times, I'd throw my call out. They worked me no problem.

I only heard one guy on 20 who complained when someone stateside tried to work him, and that was right after it started.

Towards the end, the guys calling CQ endlessly worked anyone who called them.

It helped me get two more states I wanted, though I honestly just tuned up 10 and worked anyone after listening to see if they were calling endlessly.

 

• The past weekend was CQ WW DX Fone. There's another coming up, CQ WW DX CW in late November. See the WA7BNM Contest Calendar for more info.
• And zone 3 on the left coast.
• Gary WG7X's comments were spot-on. I didn't have any trouble picking up mults for zones 4, 5, and 6.

vy 73 es gl,
Bryan WA7PRC

 

USA Zones are 3, 4, and 5. Zone 6 is Mexico and a few Mexican Islands (XF4).

From about dawn to late morning, most USA stations calling CQ Contest are trying to get a European run. From noonish to mid-afternoon, the rates are slower and they should have no problem working anyone. Whenever I operate at a multi-op, I log all stations, because as you stated, it might be a mult or QSO for me, but it might be a QSO or mult for you. I even work dupes. It's just easier to log them then to try and explain that they are a dupe (It's also possible that I've copied their call wrong, or that they've copied my call wrong).

Remember though that for the ARRL DX contests, you do NOT work USA or Canada!

 

I apologize for the error on the zones. Thank you for correcting me...

That's a very good point on the dupes. I've heard that explanation before and it does make sense. I think I might just start doing that as well.

I guess at the end of the day it really means that I should be calling CQ more but I like to hunt and peck for stations as well. I just think it's inconsiderate to not think of the other stations situation...

See you on ARRL Sweepstakes!

 

I must add my 2 cents on this. The way I see it is let the guy operate who he wants and move on. You'll end up working more stations in the long run anyway.
I likewise live in zone 4 and I didn't have any trouble working the U.S. and you forgot a zone, #3 being the east coast. And I worked the contest as a mobile. I did have half as many multipliers as I had contacts, so I thought I did OK.
Thought I'd share that and suggest to everyone to keep the faith. The more repetition the more fun.