Hey Sharks, when DX-ing why not Give the Small Fish a Break?

Have you ever been a little fish in a small pond full of Great White Sharks? Figuratively speaking, I have. When I come across a pileup competing for a rare DX contact, and I hear other CONUS stations so loud my speaker rattles, I know I’m going to have to be persistent if I want the contact.


I’m probably over reacting, but occasionally I find myself wishing others would follow the golden rule.


Consider this driving situation: Suppose you are trying to turn right out of an alley onto the main drag but lots and lots of nonstop flowing traffic prevents you from getting out.


Isn’t it nice when someone slows enough to let you out?


When folks do this for you, are you more or less inclined to make this same gesture for others?


In my scenario, the 100 watt or qrp station is the car trying to get onto the thoroughfare, and the amplified stations are the cars already on the freeway streaming past.


Sure, they can see (hear) you, but they choose to zoom past keeping you buried in the alley (keeping you from getting the contact; buried in the noisy pileup).


This is where common courtesy comes in. Common courtesy requires that we put ourselves in someone else’s place.


More hams aught to ask themselves, “How would I feel if that were me?” More hams should consider the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”.


I’m not going to say that the Amp folksHAVE to yield to barefoot/QRP folks every time they hear one; that would be silly.  I'm simply suggesting that amplifier using stations  keep this in mind and use their better judgement on the matter. 


There’s one thing I’ve learned about courtesy over the years: It is contagious.