Before I could do CW QSOs I only used 60m SSB and some 40m SSB. Now I prefer CW QSOs to be honest but there’s a large number of UK hams who only do SSB and I feel I owe those people a chance to chase me because they always made and effort to chase me in the past. So I always try to fit some LF SSB into an activation to give those people a chance.
But I feel that doing 40m SSB is like juggling hand grenades because 20% of the activations will result in me meeting STUPID on the bands. I don’t like net operation TBH but I’d prefer to work in the WAB net where lots of people are listening to make sure all the QSOs are good. You may have to wait a few minutes till you get run down the net but operation is controlled such that your blood pressure doesn’t spike!
So yesterday when I QSY’d down from 17m CW to 40m SSB. It was all going well and I though maybe all the stupid people were stuffed full of turkey and not playing radio. But I was wrong. STUPID was out with vengeance.
A few calls came back to a CQ and I got the number and two letters of a call. It just so happens that there are 2 SOTA chasers with such a sequence in their calls. I called out of those calls but that station wasn’t calling it was the other one, the one who seems to be dimmer than a Toc-H lamp.
A few garbled exchanges took place thanks to QSB and QRM but we get to the crux of the QSO
Andy: I need your callsign (I knew who it was but I hadn’t heard the full callsign)
TocH: I’m not copying you your 4 3
Andy: Callsign? What is your callsign?
TocH: No, I didn’t get that report?
Andy: Callsign? What is your callsign?
TocH: I’n not really copying you what’s my report?
Andy: What the hell is your goddamned callsign?
TocH: Oh was that 4 and 4? Thanks for the QSO
Of course it’s been logged. Of course I’ve contacted TocH to tell him it wasn’t valid. TocH is having the same difficulty receiving emails as he was receiving me. 
Now I meet STUPID on CW regularly.
- Sending 10wpm faster than me, me asking for repeats and STUPID doesn’t slow down so we struggle.
- STUPID calls over someone sending 73 etc. such that I don’t hear the 73 or the call of STUPID
- STUPID ignores directed calls
- STUPID keeps calling over QSOs (has to be deliberate so I will work STUPID to get rid of him)
But yesterday was the 5th time this particular station, TocH, had tried to have a QSO when they cannot hear me. What I don’t understand is just how stupid do you have to be to log such invalid and incomplete QSOs? If I was to log all the DX that couldn’t hear me I’d be #1 ARRL Honor Roll. But I don’t because I only log QSOs I’ve really had. I’m finding it hard to accept that these people honestly believe they can hear things that are not being said.
On the same activation, Rod M0JLA called in. Long slow QSB came calling and Rod could not hear me. He was 56-58 with me. But Rod is a proper gentleman and said “Sorry I just cannot hear you” and he abandoned the chase. And he didn’t log it. If only there were more like Rod on the air.