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Re: [CQ-Contest] Cut numbers

To: CQ-Contest@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Cut numbers
From: Steve Harrison <k0xp@dandy.net>
Date: Wed, 30 May 2007 06:05:36 +0000
List-post: <mailto:cq-contest@contesting.com>
At 07:25 AM 5/30/2007 +0200, DL8MBS wrote:
>Steve Harrison schrieb:
>
>>When your rate is 3 or 4 per MINUTE, then yes, it surely can; 
>>
>In this years ARRL CW I received a report including "enn" - and trying 
>to answer in the same language I replied "tu enn 7e" as I chose my power 
>as 75 Watts - he  requested a repeat three times and failed nevertheless 
>with me sending at less than 30 wpm. In the fifth over I sent "5nn 75" 
>and he got it.

The problem here was that the other operator just didn't anticipate, and
thus expect, cut numbers in the actual power level. Cut numbers are 99% OK
when it comes to the signal report; but when it comes to conveying
information from "culture" to "culture", such as European to NA, it doesn't
work half the time because we NA'ers are "behind the times" and simply
don't recognize the "advanced technology" of cut numbers  ;o(((((

So the ONLY time a non-NA station should use a cut number to an unknown NA
station is during the signal report. Otherwise, please use the long form
;o((((((((

Yeah, I'm acknowledging (and admitting) that we North Americans are sorta
behind times when it comes to some aspects of operating a radio. I went
through this same thing back in the middle 1990s when
High-Speed-Meteor-Scatter first became popular in North America because of
Tihomir, 9A4GL's, innovative WinMSDSP program which revolutionized V/UHF
meteor scatter work during the late 1990s, in both Europe and North
America. When Tihomir introduced WinMSDSP, it became very clear, very
quickly, that we Norte Americanos were way behind the curve compared to
Europeans. It wasn't too much longer before I became aware of the cut
numbers that Europeans had already been using during HF AND V/UHF
contesting. Due to their increased popularity (and use) amongst Europeans,
they were beginning to be heard more and more often in North America during
HF contests; and so it wasn't too long before they were introduced to the
more-serious NA contesters.

Still, the use of cut numbers BEYOND WITHIN SIGNAL REPORTS has not become
very popular amongst very many NA contest ops; and so for that reason, they
mainly remain unknown and a mystery to the "average-Joe" North American ham
operator, especially Americans  ;o(((((((

Steve, K0XP
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