Doug Smith W9WI wrote:

It would be an interesting exercise... for a DXpedition to use custom
software... that issues a random code number for each QSO... and
transmits it. If you want a QSL, you have to provide the right code for
your QSO. I wonder what it would do to the QSL rate if you *had* to
copy the DX?

That's one heck of a good idea! Alternatively, you can just key the random
code back. If correct, you get "TU", if not, you have two more tries.

Third try without luck is a "not in log".

I like that.

Peter Lemken
DF5JT
Berlin

--
Paul Lincke ist dem Zille sein Milhaud.

(Harry Rowohlt)

On 1 Feb 2006 18:02:20 GMT, "Bill Turner" wrote:

Wes Stewart wrote:

So stop spotting them. If there were no spots, folks would actually
have to listen and find the DX. And the DX would actually have to
give out their calls and announce where they are listening more
frequently, which would be refreshing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amen. Too bad we can't "uninvent" all kinds of spotting. It's a curse,
even though I admit I use it from time to time. A character flaw, to be
sure.

I've been "flawed" a few times by peeking at an Internet cluster (is
that what they're called?) to get a feel for propagation. Although I
have a computer in the shack for logging it's not Internet enabled and
I don't use packet. (Two-meters should only be used for EME and
meteor scatter (g))

So my looking at spots requires going in another room and booting the
XYL off the computer. Needless to say, the wise thing to do is locate
my own DX. Besides, the guy who "spotted" them first actually spotted
them first without a spot. Somebody's got to do it.

Another thing that would help (and I think I've seen this happen) is
for the DX station to monitor the spots and as soon as he's spotted he
QSYs.

Or the DX could do like one DXpedition op did. He was on 14.195 and
announced, "Listening up 5 to 10 (pause) and 14.190. I worked him on
14.190 on the first call. Heh heh.

Wes N7WS

Walt Davidson wrote:
A very frequent problem here in Europe is that we *can* hear the DX
station, but he is constantly QRM'd by European stations calling or
tuning on his transmit frequency, or trying to act the "policeman" by
sending "UP UP UP", "IDIOT", etc, etc.

Yeah, unfortunately that's why my suggestion was mostly tongue-in-cheek.

Of course, it's one thing for you to hear "...YY 5NN" and believe you're
in order to call. It's something entirely different to call after
hearing "...5JT 5NN"! (certainly in my original post the example lids
were completely & totally off-base!)

especially by DXpeditions that only give their own callsign once every
20 or 30 QSOs!

Yeah, for a few minutes the other day I thought I was listening to UPAA
on 40 meters - maybe some kind of Russian special-events station?

Nope, it was a DXpedition that wanted callers 11KHz above his transmit
frequency...

--
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com

Ham stuff for sale:
http://www.w9wi.com/articles/4sale.htm

\Wes Stewart wrote:

On Wed, 01 Feb 2006 08:58:55 -0500, N1KI wrote:


I am not sure if this is appropriate under this subject, but it may
help explain what is going on. A few weeks ago I spent an evening
when 80 meters was open to Europe listening around the lower CW
portion of the band. Several stations were CQ'ing with no callers,
but they would have an instant pile up shortly after I "spotted" them
on the clusters. I suspect many of these had called before ever
hearing the DX station.


So stop spotting them. If there were no spots, folks would actually
have to listen and find the DX. And the DX would actually have to
give out their calls and announce where they are listening more
frequently, which would be refreshing.

NAW!!! No need to stop spotting them. Use spotting to your advantage!
grin

Example: LA4WD is actually working 14010.0 QSX +2

Simply spot them as working 14020.0 QSX +5.

Results: Those who hear 'em work 'em. Those who chase spots are gone !!!!!

"Doug Smith W9WI" wrote in message
...

I have had the experience of operating from several spots in the world would
be considered DX. I guess the most activity would have been from the
Marshall Islands. I was KX6AA in the early 80s.

Hands down the best operators were the Japanese. If you told them to QRX
they did, if you said JA 1,2, etc. That's all that answered. I can't say
the same for Stateside.

So I ended up making a black list, and sticking by it. But from what I
hear now-a-days that won't help, they will just keep calling anyway. Why
is that? Because they read it on the packet cluster and really can't copy
CW anyway. Lidism to the max. What a deal.

Dan/W4NTI

"N1KI" wrote in message
...
I am not sure if this is appropriate under this subject, but it may
help explain what is going on. A few weeks ago I spent an evening
when 80 meters was open to Europe listening around the lower CW
portion of the band. Several stations were CQ'ing with no callers,
but they would have an instant pile up shortly after I "spotted" them
on the clusters. I suspect many of these had called before ever
hearing the DX station.

Horses are the only animal I know whose body can travel in separate
parts. Unfortunately, we all know which part we most frequently
encounter on the bands....

You know the answer as well as the rest of the DX savvy know. Those dang
clusters are so easy, folks don't tune any more. They just sit and let the
cluster beep a new one.

I was in a contest not too long ago. I worked a BUNCH of stations on 40
meters and it started to slow down a bit. I then suddenly was deluged with
callers. ALL DUPES....every single one DUPES.

So I just went QRT. After the contest was over I checked the spots for
W4NTI....guess what? At the time of the "strange happs" guess what someone
listed on the freq I was on? W4TNI. Yep.

Dan/W4NTI

"Wes Stewart" wrote in message
...
On 1 Feb 2006 18:02:20 GMT, "Bill Turner" wrote:

Wes Stewart wrote:

So stop spotting them. If there were no spots, folks would actually
have to listen and find the DX. And the DX would actually have to
give out their calls and announce where they are listening more
frequently, which would be refreshing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Amen. Too bad we can't "uninvent" all kinds of spotting. It's a curse,
even though I admit I use it from time to time. A character flaw, to be
sure.

I've been "flawed" a few times by peeking at an Internet cluster (is
that what they're called?) to get a feel for propagation. Although I
have a computer in the shack for logging it's not Internet enabled and
I don't use packet. (Two-meters should only be used for EME and
meteor scatter (g))

So my looking at spots requires going in another room and booting the
XYL off the computer. Needless to say, the wise thing to do is locate
my own DX. Besides, the guy who "spotted" them first actually spotted
them first without a spot. Somebody's got to do it.

Another thing that would help (and I think I've seen this happen) is
for the DX station to monitor the spots and as soon as he's spotted he
QSYs.

Or the DX could do like one DXpedition op did. He was on 14.195 and
announced, "Listening up 5 to 10 (pause) and 14.190. I worked him on
14.190 on the first call. Heh heh.

Wes N7WS

What's wrong with using the technology and THEN listen on the frequency and
see if you can actually HEAR the DX before calling? Now that is a radical
thought.

Dan/W4NTI

there) One would, however, think common sense would tell people even if
you do know which DX station is there, you're going to have to be able to
hear him to make a QSO!

Not really....let me explain how that works in today's computer world.

You call and call and call and hope he hears you. Then you check the
internet automatic log to see if your call shows up. In the meantime you
keep calling.

See?

Dan/W4NTI

There's another strange 'cluster spotting' phenomenon that I don't
understand at all. Tonight, LZ4UU was on 40 cw sending his or her
call frequently. There were 4 consecutives spots for LZ1UU (not 4)
on exactly the same freq (7001.5) at 0211, 0217, 0219 and 0220 UT
by four (apparently) different people. The station always sent 4,
never 1, while I was listening. How does one explain that?

Derek
aa5bt

"Dan/W4NTI" wrote in message
ink.net...

there) One would, however, think common sense would tell people even if
you do know which DX station is there, you're going to have to be able to
hear him to make a QSO!

Not really....let me explain how that works in today's computer world.

You call and call and call and hope he hears you. Then you check the
internet automatic log to see if your call shows up. In the meantime you
keep calling.

See?


So you find something interesting and work them.

Spot them right away, gets the competition busy trying to work them,
while you keep tuning and find something more interesting to work.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

--

... Hank

http://home.earthlink.net/~horedson
http://home.earthlink.net/~w0rli