An unusual event happened last night on 20 Meters.  I'll attempt to explain, and to also offer my opinion.

A92HK in Bahrain had a booming signal into Colorado last night on 20 Meters SSB.  His 1,500 watts and Vertical Ground Plane antenna signal peaked at just under 20db over S9.  Fabien was a courteous and competent operator but as I'll point out, his pileup was an exercise in futility, thus the heading to my post.

Fabien mentioned several times that he was monitoring his e-mails and if you were a low power station, he would call you out from the information he received in the e-mail.  So instead of a pileup, it quickly turned into what I call "G5RV Syndrome".  He called numerous stations that sent him their Callsign via e-mail.  In over 30 minutes, he worked a single station of the dozen or more that he had a called out from his list.  Every time he opened it up for a pileup by asking QRZ?, he'd receive another e-mail, and instead of calling stations he did hear from the pile, he'd call another station he couldn't hear from e-mail.

You could tell Fabien was doing his best to listen for them because he gave every e-mail station numerous attempts to call him.  He handled it well, and he was patient.  An A1 operator trying to do the right thing.  But was it really the right thing to do?

In the winter up here on the hill, we don't feed the deer.  Ever.  Although the winds blow, the temperatures drop, and at times you feel sorry for the deer trying to survive in a hostile environment, you cannot feed the deer.  It's been proven many times over that if you do make an exception and feed them, they come to rely on those handouts and over a short period of time they lose their ability (or motivation) to scavenge food.  They get hit and killed by cars that aren't looking for them in high country residential neighborhoods.  Hundreds of times a winter the local police and state troopers here have to put a slug through the maimed animals skull to put them out of misery.  It's the same for the mountainous Colorado bears.  Leave your stinky garbage out and about and you'll never get rid of them until you shoot and kill them.  So what fate is worse?  A bunch of skinny deer, or a bunch of dead deer?

Fabien worked one station in over 30 minutes that I listened to him, when he could have worked 50.  His heart of gold and attempts to work low power, antenna restricted stations may have been successful because he did work one of them, but he surely left a hundred frustrated stations on the sidelines.  The point being it may feel good to feed the deer, but there's a cost.  That cost was the hundred ops that built their stations, installed antenna systems, paid their electric bills and in the end, came away with nothing.

This is where our very global "existence" is going.  A redistribution of everything.  "Take it from those who can, and give it to those who can't".  The very definition of Socialism.  Socialism:  "any of various economic and political theories advocating collective or governmental ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods"

In the case of shortwaves and RF energy, instead of rewarding a station for their time, planning and ability, operations like last nights actually penalize the competent station and reward the Q to a lesser station for not putting in the time, planning or having the ability to acquire a signal.  If I may, a "redistribution of the shortwaves".  Socialist radio at its finest, haha!

Now there's a big difference in a QRP station with an antenna or a low power mobile station with a whip vertical versus a 100 watt station with a dipole at 30 feet.  QRP and mobile stations actively choose to enjoy that facet of the hobby.  They are truly limited.  DXing with a 30' dipole and a hundred watts is nothing but QRM to the rest of the pile.  It fly's straight in the face of the essence of DXing.  Like peeing in the wind.  Your inability to provide a signal is now their frustration trying to hear you.  All of the Ham Radio community would be better served if you took that operation and ran the low power digital modes.  Then again, that takes knowledge and skill too.  It is quite annoying to hear these stations QRMing a pileup over and over and over by saying, "he never listens for low power stations, he can't hear me, he only works big guns", etc.  Well, do something about it!  At a minimum, go find a clear frequency and call "CQ".  That goes for "radio checks" too.  Need a radio check?  Go call CQ and if somebody hears you - good on ya'.  Don't constantly attempt to break my QSO.  Leave me alone to talk to whoever it is I was already talking to.

I worked a huge pileup after the A92 left last night.  Signals were coming from JA, VK, TT8, Russia and EU all at the same time.  Spectacular propagation.  Twice I asked the pileup to standby for mobile and QRP stations.  And they did.  I worked a Romanian mobile on his way to work in Bucharest and a couple of QRP stations.  But, taking a standby for mobile or QRP stations is not calling out "G5RV Syndrome" stations from e-mails I received on my computer.

And while I'm at it and rolling.  I see more and more stations have turned to the DX Cluster to ask DX stations and DXpeditions to go up to the General band so they can work them.  Cluster begging.  I ask, why wouldn't you take some responsibility and upgrade your class of license instead?  Really, it's quite simple.  There's no more Morse Code requirement, and ALL the answers are given to you in the exam preparation programs.  Take some "personal accountability".  DX Cluster begging reminds me of the guy on the corner holding the cardboard sign asking for money from cars stuck at the red light.  Why is it we in the cars (or on motorcycles) feel bad looking at them beg?  I don't feel bad when I ride up.  I tell them to "get a job".  Upgrade your license my friend!

But such is life.  At least I have my blog and motorcycle to vent some of my frustration.  By the way, if you haven't figured it out yet - remember this Ham, "don't feed the deer", I don't give "radio checks" and I do have an opinion.  Be prepared.

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