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[CQ-Contest] Pirates, ghosts and things that go bump in the QRM

Subject: [CQ-Contest] Pirates, ghosts and things that go bump in the QRM
From: aa4ga@contesting.com (Lee Hiers)
Date: Wed Nov 13 14:18:54 2002
Larry has pointed out a bunch of situations that may result in 
NIL...here are my comments on 'em:

On 13 Nov 2002 at 9:33, Larry N7DF wrote:

> 1.  The other guy may have sent his call wrong. 

Then the QSO should not be removed from my log.

> 2. There may be a pirate using someone else's call or a fictional
> call. 

Since the pirate is probably not going to send in a log, it most 
likely wouldn't result in a ding.

> 3.  Someone may accidentally send someone else's call instead of his. 
> This is possible in some logging programs. (i.e. in CT hit F5 instead
> of F4) 

Then the QSO should not be removed from my log.  It is an error of 
the sending station...but similar to #2 in that there probably won't 
be a ding due to no log sent in under the wrong call.

> 4. The station that actually came back to you was someone other than
> the station you were calling.  This happens a lot as I have confirmed
> by replaying tapes of QSOs. 

Yes it does, and probably both stations should be penalized, as the 
QSO was not properly completed.  That's not what happened in my case 
BTW.

> 5.  You may have typed the other station's call wrong. 

If I typed the other station's call wrong, I should get dinged.  But 
my understanding of the software is that it is smart enough to 
determine that that is what happened and righteously removes the QSO 
and assesses the appropriate penalty...assuming it was a fairly 
simple typo.

> 6.  The other guy may have typed your call wrong. 

Then he should get dinged.  Again, I think the software will likely 
flag that.

> 7. The other guy may have accidentally erased your call from his log. 

Then *he* should be penalized, not me.

> 8.  You may be depending on a packet spot for the other guy's call and
> it is wrong on the Packet spot. 

No one should rely on a packet spot to get a callsign.  You should be 
assessed double the normal penalty for logging a call based on a spot 
rather than copying the call....no that couldn't be enforced 
equitably either.

> 9.  Gremlins may have invaded your head and you are imagining things. 

If that's the case, then I should be dinged.  While that may happen, 
in my situation, I'm pretty sure that wasn't the case.

So there are lots of situations where it's not so cut-and-dried.  
Yet, with a "rule" that says if you're NOL you're automatically SOL, 
in some cases the offending station is not penalized, and the 
innocent party is.

That's why I don't like it.  Plus, it happened to me.

Oh well...that's just the way it is.

73 de Lee

-- 
Lee Hiers, AA4GA
Cornelia, Georgia



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