Why So Much Dislike for Contesters

[n2ize]

Why do so many hams, particularly AM'ers have so much discontent for contesters. I don;t see the problem. Contests don't happen every day. If a person hates contests that much simply turn the radio off for the duration of the contest and do something else. If your life is so wrapped up in radio that you cannot bear to stay off the air for a day or so then you are in pretty bad shape. besides, even during contests there are usually a few spots here and there where you can get a rag chew going and sandwich in between the contest. Besides, most rag chews are quite unproductive and inexpedient anyway. Missing one or two over the course of a contest is irrelevant anyway.

[W3WN]

There are multiple reasons.

But the biggest one is probably caused by those who have had QSO's stomped on (in their opinion) by thoughtless contesters.

This happens for a number of factors... the biggest one being propagation shifts. The second biggest? Someone has a regular sked on a particular frequency (be it a ragchew, a net, whatever) and they find some contester on "their" frequency at the appointed time... and can not or will not look for another one.

Which is not to say that there aren't thoughtless contesters out there, who would be proud denziens of the Alpha Hotel. It just takes one or two of these jerks to piss of a ton of people at once by throwing their "weight" around. What the non-contesters complaining don't realize (or don't care about) is that the rest of us are equally torqued off at the antics of these guys. (And yes, some of us complain just as much about it... which is why I'm being censored again on the CQ Contest reflector, as one of the moderators is blocking all my posts. They know what they're doing, they just don't want to hear about it.)

[WØTKX]

Stay Dry and Comfortable! AKA, Premise of the Causal Contester.

Watch till the end... :rofl:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn9xnyBcHao0

[youtube:14xpp315]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn9xnyBcHao[/youtube:14xpp315]

[kc7jty]

[youtube:d9agt9io]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wn9xnyBcHao[/youtube:d9agt9io]

Pretty Ear Regular except for the Louisiana folk music.....

[WØTKX]

Dig that funky music...

Please understand that women don't do this, but some girlfriends sure do... ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7YIC0CIRyw

[youtube:3eq4znkw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7YIC0CIRyw[/youtube:3eq4znkw]

[KJ3N]

Contests don't happen every day.

The most offered "excuse" (and I personally think it's BS) is that lots of people can only get on the radio on weekends, so what little time they have to operate is "spoiled". Really? I gave a listen to the bands briefly this past Saturday. Huge swaths of 15m and 20m were a ghost town. Where are all these people who only have weekends to operate?

If a person hates contests that much simply turn the radio off for the duration of the contest and do something else.

Or (GASP!) try a different mode. :roll:

If your life is so wrapped up in radio that you cannot bear to stay off the air for a day or so then you are in pretty bad shape.

I believe the word you're looking for is... pathetic.

[KJ3N]

The second biggest? Someone has a regular sked on a particular frequency (be it a ragchew, a net, whatever) and they find some contester on "their" frequency at the appointed time...

News Flash for them: Nobody has a "god-given right" to any frequency. I don't care if your "net" has been using a frequency since Christ was a Corporal. You don't own it. If I'm here first, you get to wait until I'm done, ASK me to give it up, or find another frequency. If you DEMAND that I give it up, you're in for a world of hurt.

....and can not or will not look for another one.

Make that will not. They'd much rather try to force you off the frequency. The cure that ails these idiots is that big "knob" on the front of the radio. Apparently, they're too stupid to figure it out. :roll:

Which is not to say that there aren't thoughtless contesters out there, who would be proud denziens of the Alpha Hotel. It just takes one or two of these jerks to piss of a ton of people at once by throwing their "weight" around.

And it equally pisses off others that nets like MMSN try to throw their "weight" around as well. They're one of the biggest "Doesn't F'ing Get It" crowd out there. :roll:

What the non-contesters complaining don't realize (or don't care about) is that the rest of us are equally torqued off at the antics of these guys.

And some of us just don't get worked up about it any more. I used to get torqued about contests, but then I grew up. :roll:

I also blame a lot of this angst between contesters and non-contests on what I call "One Mode Morons". People who will not simply go to another mode (or even another band) that the contest doesn't involve. If it's an SSB contest, do CW, RTTY, PSK, etc. If it's a CW contest, do SSB, SSTV, etc.

Also, if you're a "Single Mode Simpleton", I'd suggest a WARC band. They've only been around for 20 years. Pry open your wallet and buy a used radio under 15 years old. :roll:

There are ways to deal with contests other than bitching and moaning all the time. It's not like you don't know when these contests are going to happen. They happen the same time every year. Plan accordingly and get a life. :roll:

[n2ize]

Well, during most SSB contests I'm on AM anyway,

[W5GA]

Well, during most SSB contests I'm on AM anyway,

So....YOU'RE THE ONE!!!

[WØTKX]

Well, during most SSB contests I'm on AM anyway,

So....YOU'RE THE ONE!!!

Spectrum Hawgs Untie!

Before I changed my callsign (was KCØTLW) I got into a ragchew with some gents on 20 meters. After a bit, somebody piped up abut my "new callsign" and the CW requirement. Hammered me on the premise that I was a recently upgraded "slow code" General.

So I changed modes, sent all their callsigns at about 18 WPM, 25 WPM "Farnsworth", and a 73. Pandemonium ensued, and a couple answered back in CW, claiming I was using a keyboard.

I switched to a straight key sent the callsigns again with a final

SKCC 1068 DE KCØTLW 73, ES 88 SK

Stopped all the conversation for about 3 minutes. :rofl:

It was odd, I never got a QSL card from those Killer Hamsters. Oh Well. :roll: