Should "breakers" *always* be welcome to join in a QSO regardless, or are there times when it is best not to interrupt an on-going QSO, and when is it OK for the participants in a QSO to ignore would-be breakers?
One of things I often find annoying when attempting to carry on a contact near any of the popular AM operating frequencies is the near impossibility of avoiding a large, cumbersome roundtable. The band may be completely devoid of any AM activity for a half-hour or more, but as soon as one station starts up a QSO with one other, within minutes you can expect the inevitable breaker wishing to join the conversation. Then another. And another. The more participants in the QSO, the more frequent the breakers, until a group has developed with 5, 8 or more stations. If the old buzzard roundtable procedure is observed with a large group, you can count on at least one participant getting the sequence wrong, per go-round, and someone often gets left out for one or more rounds. It goes without saying that one or more the breakers will be piss-weak, and the general rule is the weaker they are the longer they talk. Before long, each member of the roundtable is waiting 45 minutes between transmissions, which tends to encourage long old-buzzard transmissions when one finally does get a turn to transmit. It is virtually impossible to carry on a simple conversation with one other station on a topic of interest during prime-time operating hours. Not that I mind joining in a nice chat with a group of AM stations or having others join in on a relaxed informal conversation, and maybe attracting a newcomer or two to the mode. But sometimes I find myself engaged in conversation with another station on a specific topic of particular interest to both of us, but then the inevitable breakers enter the QSO without displaying any interest in the topic of discussion, and before long the whole conversation is redirected off topic and the original discussion fizzles before it is allowed to reach a conclusion. I find this highly annoying to say the least. What's the best way to handle this situation? With CW there is a convenient pro-sign that specifically tells the other station and only that station to transmit, and that all others should stand by until the ongoing communication is finished. That pro-sign is KN in lieu of a simple K at the end of a transmission. But I know of no corresponding pro-sign for use with phone. Is it rude to ignore breakers, or must they always be made to feel welcome to join any conversation regardless? One technique when everyone in the QSO has a strong signal, is to overlap the carriers as one station turns it over to the other so that there is no pause between transmissions. Some people say they find that rude, but wouldn't it be equally rude to approach two or more strangers on the street, and to butt into their conversation without being invited? I would suggest listening to the content of the conversation in a QSO before attempting to break in. If the participants are discussing a specific topic, do not attempt to interrupt unless you have something to contribute to the topic at hand. Listen carefully, and you will likely hear clues to whether or not they would welcome others to join. If there is any doubt, QSY to a nearby frequency and call CQ, or scan the band for another on-going QSO that would appear to be more welcoming to breakers. We will generate more AM presence in the bands with several simultaneous QSO's with 2 or 3 participants each, than with everyone falling into one large, boring roundtable with 8 or more stations, each taking their turn to make a 10-20 minute transmission. On 75m, if 3870-90 is fully occupied, consider moving "down below" to 3600-3750 or thereabouts, or give 160 or 40 a try. Don k4kyv _______________________________________________________________ This message was typed using the DVORAK keyboard layout. http://www.mwbrooks.com/dvorak/ http://gigliwood.com/abcd/ ______________________________________________________________ Our Main Website: http://www.amfone.net AMRadio mailing list Searchable Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/amradio@mailman.qth.net/ List Rules (must read!): http://w5ami.net/amradiofaq.html List Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/amradio Post: AMRadio@mailman.qth.net To unsubscribe, send an email to amradio-requ...@mailman.qth.net with the word unsubscribe in the message body. This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
