Isn't it time that we banned calling CQ on IO-117? Sure, if the satellite is dead, and there is absolutely no traffic, put your CQ out there. But when the bird is over North America, Japan, or Western Europe (and especially when all three are in the footprint at once), there are generally 50 or more stations all competing for the resource to complete contacts. How difficult is it to pick one of those you'd like to work and give them a call? By doing so, you've also announced your presence, and anyone else interested in working you will give you a call in return. Taking up time on the digipeater to call CQ when the bird is active and crowded is simply a waste of the scarce resource.
Similarly, on FM satellites, while a few newbies actually call CQ, I constantly hear stations putting out their callsign and grid to no one in particular. Again, great if the repeater has been silent for a while. But on some passes you'll hear two or three stations putting out their call, and none of them actually makes a contact! If one would listen and then actually call the other station, they'd both have a QSO in the log. But if everyone just keeps throwing calls around, it never happens.
On a linear satellite, like RS-44, a CQ can actually make sense -- so long as there isn't someone just up the passband doing the same thing.
We'd all be much better off listening for the stations already on the satellite and calling one of them instead of wasting our resources calling to no one in particular.
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Mark D. Johns, KØJM
AMSAT Ambassador & News Service Editor
Brooklyn Park, MN USA EN35hd
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"Heaven goes by favor; if it went by merit,
you would stay out and your dog would go in."
---Mark Twain