Last weekend it was "Jamboree on the Air JOTA" and I'm sure all the local radio amateurs involved worked very hard in setting up HF stations for all the cubs, scouts, brownies and girl guides interested in radio communications. They were probably looking forward to speaking with other groups throughout the UK, Europe and even further afield.
However most of the groups, including my contact with a scout station, were forced off the air by contesters running high powered stations seemingly oblivious to the fact that it was JOTA. In fact the UK person, who I shall not name, was rude, obnoxious and over bearing and despite being informed the frequency was in use prior to his call continued to blast his call sign over the top of our attempted communication. What a great introduction to the "World of Ham Radio" for all these youngsters. I continued to monitor the situation even after giving up to contact the JOTA stations to see how they were doing but it seemed the contesters were out to over power them in an attempt to gain points. Perhaps this is the reason VOIP is so popular, at least you can communicate.
Personally I have no interest in working contests however there are those who do. I have no issue with those fellow amateurs and how they get pleasure from their hobby. This weekend the whole world has come alive for another contest and its impossible to find a clear channel in the whole of the 20M band to communicate with friends old and new. However can we please limit the contesters to a fixed part of the band so that others, like myself, can at least have a few clear channels on which to communicate. Many operators are working Monday to Friday and their only free time to "play radio" is the weekend and this is being denied them by poor planning of spectrum use and frequency hogging contests.
P.S. I wrote a letter to the RSGB suggesting contests would be fairer on those who were not competing if they were allocated or restricted to particular frequencies and power to prevent the all too common splatter effect by those who cannot or can't be bothered to operate their equipment correctly. This would also increase the competitiveness of the contest, ask any fisherman if it is more sporting to use a light line or dynamite?
However the editor at the time wrote declining to print my letter and in due course, this being the last straw, I declined to renew my subscription. They are not the only font of information about amateur radio and their magazine is mostly advertisements for equipment, all of which I can access easily on line.
Take a look at these videos.................
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=e ... WE7FrVY9T4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=e ... mkOGqkVDKA
I would like to thank GW4ALG for these links on his listing on http://www.qrz.com/db/GW4ALG/
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