Is it just me or does anyone else think contesters are out of control

Iam not a contester but I have been noticing that operators are using the am windows for ssb. This was a gentlemans agreement from back in the 50's or 60's.

 

Back in the 70's-early 80's back in the days of 23 channels on 11m, there was a gentleman's agreement that channel 16 was reserved for SSB only.

When CB expanded to 40 channels the agreement was expanded to also include channels 34-40 for people with the newer radios.

What does that have to do with Ham radio do you say....

Quite simple, The majority of the gentlemen in both services that made and held by those agreements
are long gone...

just as 11m went to hell in a hand basket.......

Whole new crop of people on the airwaves that never heard of the agreement, Don't care about the agreement
as long as they are having their fun.

Everybody complains but hardly anybody does anything to solve the problem (whatever it is)
very few take the time to Elmer anybody. There are more O.F.s around with such superiority complexes
that they would rather belittle a noob than try to "educate" him than there are willing Elmers.

Just look at How many Hams still held an Advanced class ticket and refused (Even unto death) to upgrade to Extra in protest of that restructuring?....

I have done very little operating since getting my ticket in fear of committing a faux Pas and getting ripped a new A.H.

Can't put up an antenna here, And removed the equipment from the car.
I have the ticket but I am no longer active.
Had more fun playing around with circuits and being able to try them on the air etc.

 

I got a chuckle at the phone op who started calling CQ DX on sideband on top of me while I was running RTTY around 14.130 Sunday. I made more DX contacts than he did.

 

You are implying they should operate only before or after a contest.

 

They seem to believe that that's the only way. I'm just saying that if contests really are that bad and they aren't able to operate, then they should be doing it now...but they're not.

 

I have never worked a contest because it doesn't motivate or make sense to me. However, contesters have been tearing up the bands ever since I first started.

There are WARC bands to work and the contests only last a weekend. I just avoid the chaos, enjoy what I can, and realize it isn't forever.

No big deal for me.

 

Some people like contests, some people don't. It's not about contesting. It's about rude or careless behavior, and that applies to contesters and non-contesters alike. There are a lot of radio activities that don't appeal to me, but I respect the people who have other interests and their right to pursue those interests. Except when it comes to rude/crude behavior, jammers, etc. Yes I would like a stricter enforcement of the rules, but I don't have any realistic expectations in that regard. So we can simply operate as considerately as we can, and not worry so much about what other people do.

I do note a certain naivete in many operators, who suffer QRM and automatically assume it is intentional or careless, without realizing that the other guy might not hear them. I find a clear frequency, ask if it is clear, hear no response, call CQ. Swing the beam, and all of a sudden there is a loud QSO on frequency. Receiving patterns do not necessarily match transmitting patterns. Sometimes I can hear people who cannot hear me, and vice versa.

If there is a CW contest, then maybe the SSB bands are not so crowded, and vice versa. And on a big contest weekend, there are always the WARC bands to go to. It's not like we are stuck with crystal-control. If I find something that doesn't appeal to me, I spin the dial. With decent antennas for every band 160-6 meters there are always options.

 

sometimes I think that op's forget to have fun or that this hobby should be fun. I for one like to have fun and if someone takes the frequency then so be it. I will find another one. Remember all lets have fun and not all of us are contesters.

 

Granted, "con tester" who runs maximum "legal" power is a LID , but 95.55% of ham radio "operators" have no clue how radio waves travel and just do not understand why "my clear frequency where I have been chewing fat with my buddy for last half an hour " gets all of nowhere QRM by 20 over 9 signal.
Just because YOU can hear the " QRM " does not mean HE can hear you , duh!
Shirley

 

If you move to 30 , 17 , and 12 meters , there is NO contesting on those ham bands . Put some antennas up and be happy again !