Route 66 OTA Sept 11 thru Sept 19th

Route 66 SE starts at 00:00Z on Sept 11th with 22 stations on the air, all with 1X1 calls. The Northern Arizona DX Association started this event in 2000 and it has grown to enormous proportions. Last year the event produced over 50,000 QSOs.
If you can't work all 22, at least try to work our 3 stations W6G, W6S(Rover 1 ) and W6T(Rover 2). Get these three QSLs and line them up side by side and it shows our area of RT 66 and one long Burma Shave sign that
is spaced through all 3 cards. More information on QRZ.com - See W6T callsign lookup for most information. Thanks and Hope to C U on the air! 73, Bob, NF7E, NADXA www.nadxa.com

 

No thanks. Tired of two or three "straggler" stations that don't show up until the last day of the event - year after year. When I asked Citrus about this, they said that I shouldn't complain because these guys are volunteering. I replied that Citrus should make sure they have volunteers who are able to be on the air a reasonable amount of time.

(For you conspiracy theorists, I think it's a deviant plan to process fewer certificates - therefore less work involved... /sarc)

 

Exactly. When they "volunteer", they should commit to spending a REASONABLE amount of time operating. More than just an hour or two on the last day of the event, just before it ends. Then they make one QSO every two minutes, tediously repeating the same info for every contact when the huge pile-up has heard it dozens of times. Not the time or place for a rag-chew.

Maybe the method of administering the use of the callsigns for the special event could be handled in a better way. The individual, group, or club that holds the callsign W6x (for example) should open up the use of that call for any volunteer in the area who is interested in operating, not just for those select few in their "clique". They could use an on-line scheduling website to ensure that there is only one station on the air that is using that callsign on a particular band and mode at the same time. This would increase the number of operators and the time that W6x could be on the air.

 

I'm listening to a station that has a HUGE pile-up trying to work him. He couldn't be any slower or more tedious. Very poor pile-up management. He's lucky to work one station per minute. He spent over 3 minutes trying to work one weak station, when he could have worked a dozen strong stations in the same amount of time. He repeats his name and location with almost every contact. Occasionally reports his station equipment and other unnecessary information. Lots of irrelevant comments. He should be exchanging ONLY the necessary info and quickly moving on to the next caller. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, while dozens or hundreds of stations are on freq and trying to work him.

 

While I'm not a huge fan of Special Event stations running them "by the numbers"...
The one W6x that did, was zipping right along...while there is always that handful
of Lids that forgets what # is in there call...most played by the rules and got in the log...

As of now, I have worked all but 2, so I hope the conspiracy theorists are wrong...
(fingers crossed)

 

Yes, sometimes "by the numbers" is the only way to manage a pile-up, it's less severe than working split. I heard the W6x working them by the numbers, it was the right thing to do in that situation! Much better than spending a minute or more just trying to pick out a partial callsign while guys keep repeating their calls multiple times as they try to be the last one calling. That slows down the QSO rate to a crawl, something that I heard a few of the event station operators allow to happen. Very poor pile-up management, they create their own problems by letting things get out of control.

 

Managed to work one station in St. Louis. The rest, I presume are in AZ, which is off the end of my wire antenna. I haven't been able to hear them at all. Does anyone know where the other W6x stations are located?

 

I for one am happy to see that people are willing to give up their free time to promote the hobby.
Those who take the time to help me make a contact with my little 100 watt radio and mediocre antenna
should be praised for their patience and perseverance.
Weather I get 1 or all 22 on SSB, CW, FT8, or other
Thanks to all who make this event possible.

 

This is my first try with this, and sad to say, I have to agree that that the handful of really slow ops, while certainly nice hams having fun, make it not really a viable "thing" going forward. (and I AM up to 15 or 16) I might get a few of the QSL cards for the wall, but certainly wouldn't think of it as reasonable effort to go for a clean sweep like say, 13 Colonies or LMS, which were do-able (except for that QRP station in NY... )
maybe some re-vamping is in order since the intention is good?

"I for one am happy to see that people are willing to give up their free time to promote the hobby."- Honestly I just think of them using that free time to participate in the hobby, especially the rag chewers. No hard feelings, it just doesn't work out that great for a lot of us in the current structure.

 

We are now halfway through the event and there is one W6* station that I haven't heard or seen spotted AT ALL. Not once. There have been comments on the spotting cluster (which is NOT the place for it) and elsewhere about them being "unobtanium" once again. Sounds like that callsign should be a prime candidate for someone else to "appropriate" and make it an active entity next year.

 

Thanks for your POSITIVE comment from a small 100 watt and a wire W6C station! (Dave, K6WDE)

PS Tomorrow, Thursday, September 16th, W6C will be active /portable from the historic and iconic Wigwam Motel in Rialto, CA ON ROUTE 66! Come find us from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm [17:00 - 21:00 UTC] PDT on 20 and 40 meters!

 

I'm listening to one of the operators now, he took 5 minutes (!) to work one station. Rag-chewed with the guy while dozens of other stations are trying to work him. Gives his name and neighborhood location with almost every contact, and gives the time he logs the contact as if nobody else has a clock in their station. Refers frequently to the pile-up but pretends they aren't there. Calls for a partial call, then before he completes the QSO he abandons it and takes another callsign that some lid butted in with. VERY poor operator.