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Topic	Author	Posted On
ARRL QRM'ing Maritime Emergency Net	WA4YBC	on 24/10/12
Quote by N9HTZ So, the fact that all of these operators were constantly keying up on 17M and saying, "CQ contest, CQ contest." was a figment of my imagination. While there may not be an official ARRL contest on this band, It didn't stop the contesters for doing it anyway. I do agree with an earlier point that the ARRL is not directly responsible for the bad behavior of these operators. Perhaps the ARRL should be more forward about which bands are NOT included. Ah. Clearly you are not familiar with the General Contest Rules for ARRL contests, which explicitly state that NONE of the WARC bands -- or 60 meters -- are included in the HF contest frequencies. You really can't get more explicit than that. --- So, why did someone, allegedly, call "CQ Contest" on 17 meters? [I say "allegedly" because I did not hear this for myself, so I can not state it as a fact as I don't know]. Probably someone who for their own reasons wanted to jam the frequency, and if that is the case, someone who knew what button to push. What better way to tick off the already annoyed operators of a net that moved, to a non-contest band, to avoid a contest, than to call a bogus 'CQ Contest' on top of them -- not only does it cause intentional QRM, but it deflects blame to others than the group is already unhappy with! CQ WW SSB is coming up in a few days. ARRL Sweepstakes SSB is a few weeks after that. Don't be at all surprised if 20 meters (and 15 and 10 and 40 and 80) are crowded. Be prepared; be flexible. And don't overlook the yahoos who are eager to yank your chains.
ARRL QRM'ing Maritime Emergency Net	WA4YBC	on 27/3/12
Quote by N9HTZ Sir, with all due respect, The QRM from contestors on the 14.300 Maritime nets was either drirectly on that frequency and/or very close frequencies, that goes a bit beyond sharing the 20M band with contestors. OK, no one can be linked to dangerous situation on that weekend because of contestors...this time. Since the17M OMISS net had moved from its normal 18.165 and I made no contacts in my log, I can't remember the exact frequency. I bellieve that it was 18.158 (?). However, the net started at 1900 UTC and the incidents occurred throughout the net and grew continually worse. The 17M band was literally full of contestors. However, the other fellow is claiming that I'm lying about this. I know that intentional QRM has plagued the OMISS and other scheduled nets for quite some time. Many participants have documented, recorded, and reported the incidents over a long period of time to no avail. 1. There are no contests on 17 meters. 2. There are no contests on 17 meters. 3. There are no contests on any of the WARC bands including 17 meters. 4. There have never been contests on 17 meters. 5. There are no contests on 17 meters. Whatever happened on 17 meters was not the actions of contest operators because there is no contesting on 17 meters. I am not calling you a liar. That said, to be perfectly blunt, if you believe that this was the direct action of contesters operating in a contest then you are mistaken. I can not explain what allegedly occurred on 14.300 because I did not hear it. However, my own observations on 20 meters over the years is that even though the MMSN claims to be a 24/7 operation, there are many times during the day that the frequency appears to be quiet... no activity. So, on the presumption that the net is operating, the only possible conclusion is that propagation is not open to me at the time, and as a result I can not hear the net. Now, extrapolating from that presumption... someone in another country, someone who is not familiar with the MMSN (hard to believe, but it's quite probable) could very well have NOT HEARD THE NET, did not / could not hear a reply to his query, incorrectly assumed that the frequency was open, and began operating. IF this or something like this is what happened: this IS NOT deliberate interference. It is the nature of propagation, and an innocent mistake. Finally, once again I need to point out that under FCC rules. NO ONE owns a frequency. The fact that the MMSN is parked on a given frequency, and it wasn't always 14300, does not give it title to that frequency. Amateur Radio spectrum is a shared resource, and sometimes interference happens. Claiming (improperly) exclusive ownership of a frequency does not change the laws of physics.
ARRL QRM'ing Maritime Emergency Net	WA4YBC	on 11/3/12
Quote by N9HTZ < snip > However, last weekend, they started operating right on top of a 17M net that was in progress and refused to QSY after being asked. 17M wasn't included as a band to be used inthe contest but 17M was full of contestors. < snip > Really? Contesters on 17 meters? Are you sure it was hams operating in a contest, or was it something else... like DX'ers in a pileup for a rare station working split? Don't suppose you can mention specific times, frequencies, or calls involved? Quote by N9HTZ < snip > You have cited a clear and present danger caused by ARRL contestors that must be addressed and mitigated. With all due respect, the MMSN has been sharing 20 meters with contesters on the weekends for decades. So with all due respect to Tom Clancy, this is hardly a "clear and present danger." Most of those contests are not sponsored by the ARRL -- only three events (ARRL DX SSB, ARRL Sweepstakes SSB, and ARRL Field Day, which is not a contest) come to mind. This isn't an "ARRL" problem. Is MMSN so inflexible that it is unable to adopt contingency plans in the events the band is crowded? If other groups can manage this, why can't they?

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