I tried sending in slow cw 'only dx'. It didn't make any difference ... they still kept calling. Early in the contest I did log a few ... but after a while it became irritating. My logging program complains when I enter a 'non contest' qso. So as to not screw things up when I am tired, I began to ignore those callers. It's not VEs calling me, it's USA stations. I hear a week signal ... I think it is dx ... I switch directions only to find out it's a USA station ... frustrating. Maybe next time I will just qsy to a different frequency or go qrt. I no longer have the patience to deal with someone's ignorance of the contest rules. Doug
"Think of all the ways you can hurt yourself laughing." -----Original Message----- I appreciate all the replies and helpful advice. Since there will always be some that won't study the official rules (I promise I will from now on :-), here's what I think is the best solution. When a station calls CQ TEST and he hears another station in his country answering him, simply call CQ TEST DX (or maybe CQ DX TEST). If that doesn't get the point across, then nothing will. Besides, it serves notice to anyone else listening that might be thinking about answering. I heard at least one US station doing that. I only called 3 stations in the 48 states before I caught on. Afterwards, I worked a number of stations in the Caribbean and SA, including some new ones. It was great fun, in spite of band conditions! This could very well turn out to be my favorite contest. Are there any other contests with zero-point scoring rules like this one? 73, Mike www.w0btu.com --- This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active. http://www.avast.com _________________ Topband Reflector Archives - http://www.contesting.com/_topband
