DQRM on 30m during my activation of DL/AL-150

On the Bands Operating Procedures
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During today’s activation of DL/AL-150 I experienced severe QRM from another station. It wasn’t by accident - as it happens sometimes - when two activators pick frequencies close to each other. Someone was transmitting deliberately series of dits on top of QSOs in progress. It happened about five minutes after I had started on that band. I could still hear some chasers but I wasn’t sure whether they could hear me. So I QSYed up ~1 kHz. Some chasers followed immediately and the activation continued until this poor creature found the pile-up and started making trouble again. A few more QSOs could be completed but then I decided to QSY on 40m
My apologies to all chasers who were still waiting for their QSO.

Such people are best ignored completely. Otherwise they start enjoying the mischief they created.
For tomorrow’s activations I’ll pick frequencies higher up the band, such as 10130 or above. I hope to be able to operate there without interference.

73, Roman

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This happened to me the other day whilst doing a POTA, it’s happened multiple times whilst doing SOTA as well. Sometimes it’s someone tuning up on the freq (which is annoying but forgivable) and other times it’s clear it’s on purpose. It’s usually ‘dahs’ or long tones, like someone holding down a straight key.

I have no idea why folk feel the need to spoil anothers’ fun but I always just pretend it’s not happening, work as many chasers as I can, and eventually they go away!

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@G0EVV had an encounter with the same interference.

There is a school of thought (let’s call it that way) that xOTA activities are akin to contesting and as such should not take place on WARC bands, somehow this is often conveyed through anonymous QRM.

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Yeah, I have heard that line of thinking before. I seem to remember having this issue on 20m too but yes, it may have been worse on bands you can’t contest on.

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This only confirms my suspicion, as I’ve had similar experiences. My interpretation is this:

Some envy the lively Sota scene and the friendly atmosphere among members and vent their frustration this way.

Some confuse Sota with a contest they dislike and take out their frustration on that.

Or they punish the supposed contester on a WARC band.

73 Chris

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If you write about it saying how it spoiled your day then the perpetrator knows there were successful and will continue.

Don’t write about it on a forum like this as you will only encourage more activity.

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Ignoring them on on-air makes perfect sense but I doubt someone who hates xOTA or other radio ops in general would read the SOTA reflector as a habit.

He [it’s bound to be a he] could be envious that someone else on 30m is having lots of QSOs or he thinks it’s funny. 30m is not crowded so it’s not like he couldn’t find a clear frequency.

I mostly activate on 30m and can’t recall being QRM’d. Roman described a one-off event not something he often gets. The 30m CW activity group’s forum occasionally blog about intruders or FT4/FT8 but not about QRM’ers.

I’ve had digital signals come up during my CQs and CW QSOs on 60m - on what was previously a quiet frequency - but even there it’s hard to know if it’s deliberate, what with some digital stations being automated and periodic or with it being a shared band.

Someone who deliberately ‘bombs’ other amateurs’ QSOs has a personality problem and we’ll probably never know his motivation.

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On 60 metres that’s quite likely to be the primary :military_helmet: user, who won’t give a monkey’s what interference he’s causing to us secondary users, and he will probably hop somewhere else any minute anyway…