Both yesterday and today a DXpedition has been operating on 7023 kHz CW. His pileup extends from 7023 to 7035 kHz, completely obliterating the QRP sub-band in Europe as well as the frequencies around 7034 kHz customarily used by SOTA activators.
Am I alone in feeling that such band (mis)use is rather unethical?
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
In reply to G3NYY:
If you think that is bad, Walt, you ought to see the spread of some of the phone DX-pedition pile-ups! Yes, it is selfish, unethical and above all stupid, but it isn’t going to change any more than the professional QRM-ers are going to leave SOTA Activations alone. We just have to work around them.
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
Pretty sure that I have seen people here suggesting that the same tactic is a good way to manage a SOTA pile up.
In reply to G3CWI:
The same tactic of operating split yes, but not 12KHz wide. A good DX CW operator should not need such a wide split.
73s Andrew G4AFI
In reply to G3CWI:
The thing is, as a tactic it works for the DX station and would probably work for the activator, too, but as the callers are not listening on their own frequency they do not know whether they are causing QRM, and certainly don’t care in the urgency of the moment. It is part of the same mentality that scoffs at band plans - “it’s only a gentleman’s agreement!” We’ve all heard them! It’s only a small step from that to all the other abuses that plague the bands, like the callers that are so busy tail-ending the tail-enders that they don’t even notice that the activator is already working someone.
73
Brian G8ADD
In reply to G8ADD:
In the US, there’s actually a section in the FCC part 97 rules that requires amateurs to cooperate to share their specturm effectively (i.e. to try to work out band plans and follow them). There’s a rule like that in Norway too, and probably such rules in most countries, given that there’s something like that said in the international agreements that amateur radio is based on.
The fact that the FCC and other national regulators prefer not to actually fine and jail people for violating this, and are expecting the amateurs to work this out between themselves as gentle(wo)men, is taken by the professional QRM’ers as their “God given right to free speech on the air. I’m not in jail, so what I’m doing is perfectly OK, and if you dare criticize me for it you are violating my rights.”
In reply to G8ADD:
If you think that is bad, Walt, you ought to see the spread of some of
the phone DX-pedition pile-ups! Yes, it is selfish, unethical and
Ops have brought it on themselves when stations are obliged to operate split or adopt other methods to try and control things. Even when a station says (frequently) things like “listening 5 up” stations do not hear this and continue to call on the tx f. and other stupid behaviours.
Mike G6TUH
In reply to G6TUH:
Then you get all the band-policemen trying to organise the chaos who make it worse.
Split is fine in the right place. 12kHz on 40m CW is poor operating by the DX. I’m sure it makes a huge pileup more workable but it is grossly inconsiderate of other band users.
Being a CW pileup there wont be any of those wonderful “LID, LID, LID heeeeeeeeesssss leeeeeeeeeessssssssssteeeeeeeeeening up!!!” that you can hear when DX SSB pileups go wrong.
Andy
MM0FMF
In reply to MM0FMF:
“Being a CW pileup there wont be any of those wonderful “LID, LID, LID heeeeeeeeesssss leeeeeeeeeessssssssssteeeeeeeeeening up!!!” that you can hear when DX SSB pileups go wrong.”
Very good Andy 
I could almost hear it as I read above!
Mike G6TUH
In reply to G6TUH:
“Being a CW pileup there wont be any of those wonderful “LID, LID, LID
heeeeeeeeesssss leeeeeeeeeessssssssssteeeeeeeeeening up!!!” that you
can hear when DX SSB pileups go wrong.”Very good Andy
I could almost hear it as I read above!
ROTFL!
“Make a LEEEEEEESSSSSSST!!!”
73,
Walt (G3NYY)
In reply to G3NYY: During my activation on sunday from DM/BW-228 i heard a strong HB9-Station calling, i sent 599 and during my transmission he was again calling (fullbreak with KX3). So i sent again 599…and same act. After about four trials to give him an rapport, i was so frustrated that i packt up my equipment to set out for next summit. I thought, why is he calling me if he can’t here me?
In the evening at home, my friend HB9CGA (Uli) told me, that he heard me and thought, that i was frustrated but then he said the same like Walt has written now. I didn’t know that this OM was calling this DXPedition.
I think, this is a really good preparation of an DXPeditions to use a bandwidth till QRP-QRG’s. Thanks to this DXPedition.
Sorry for those Chasers waiting for my rapport. You know me, it isn’t my fashion to do QRT in pileup. I try to contact all chasers calling me, but this HB9-Station was 59+++
73 Peter/HB9CMI