I know of a case in the last CQ WPX where two hams in VA with rather
common prefixes "borrowed" a 2 X 1 call sign of another ham who had a
weird uncommon prefix. This other ham had no HF gear or antennas, and
his two friends did not operate from his QTH, only used his unusual
callsign. I suspect when they called CQ CONTEST they got more replies
since they had a very unique prefix than if they were using their own
common callsigns.
I have seen on a reflector where the actual owner of the callsign was
asked if he was on the air and he replied no, his friends borrowed his
callsign for the contest.
Legal? I guess so. Fair? Up to the beholder. I would think they would
need to be physically present at the station whose callsign was being
used but do not know the actual rules.
Mark Beckwith wrote:
>>When using another's station, which call do you use?
>>Is there an established protocol for this or something
>>that is worked out on a case by case basis?
>>
>>
>
>Good question, Clint.
>
>Absolutely case-by-case. There are a number of variations, and little, if
>any, of it is regulated by law anymore. I'm not sure, but I imagine the
>person who holds the call that is being used, whatever it is, needs to have
>agreed to it, because using someone else's call without their
>permission/knowledge is probably illegal. I would think.
>
>If there is a somewhat established protocol, it's that the callsign of the
>station owner is the one that gets used in the contest. You honor the
>station owner by using his call - but there are station owners who care
>about that and station owners who don't. There are plenty of times when
>this doesn't happen for whatever reason.
>
>In a contest where prefixes count as multipliers, it gets all mixed up -
>you'll find people who have invented clubs for themselves so they can apply
>for a fancy callsign with a valuable prefix (i.e. a 2x1), and they trot that
>call out only under those conditions.
>
>Another factor is that competitive types like to avoid long calls with
>difficult letters like J,Q,and Y - letters with 4 code elements, three of
>which are dahs, and that don't repeat or are not symmetrical. Competitive
>types like to have calls with short easy letters made of dahs like T,M and
>O. I'm talking code here but the same principal applies to voice. Short
>calls that are easy to send and easy to copy are perceived as better contest
>calls. Two-letter suffixes with double letters are considered pretty much
>the top of the food chain.
>
>It goes on and on. Point is, when you ask someone if you can use their
>station in a contest, better be prepared to use their callsign unless they
>have a less-than-optimal call and appear to be open to using a different
>one, which happens frequently.
>
>YMMV. Tremendously :)
>
>73 - Mark, N5OT
>
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>
>
>
--
Alan Zack
Amateur Radio Station K7ACZ
Official USCG Auxiliary Comm Station
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Delta Rocket Quality Engineer, The Boeing Company, Retired
Aviation Chief Warrant Officer, U.S. Coast Guard, Retired
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