Hello contest operators,
Time for a reminder post about NILs. (NIL = Not In Log). I had the sad
experience in the SS contest of answering a CQ and having the op tell me we had
worked before. Now to start with I try not to call stations I've already
worked. That wouldn't make any sense. In this case I had checked to see if I
had worked him before I called him, and he was not in my log.
Him: CQ SS from K4-Blah-Blah.
Me: N5OT
Him: N5OT worked before QRZ contest.
Me: You're not in my log.
Him: Check your number 334 QRZ contest.
Me: Okay....Nope, that's not you.
Him: Well, I was your number 334 QRZ contest.
Me: That's not what I have.
Him: Sorry, worked before, QRZ contest.
Interesting. I suppose if my number 334 was K4-BLUE-Blah then maybe I'd
consider I must have copied his call wrong and maybe I'd change my log to say
K4-BLAH-blah. But my number 334 was W9Three-Letter-Something - obviously
K4-Blah-Blah only *thinks* I worked him, but really I didn't. Either I was
working someone else and for whatever reason he didn't realize it, or he worked
someone else and copied their call as N5OT. That happens.
The sad thing is, I tried to have a valid contest QSO with him which would have
benefited us both, but because he doesn't understand about this stuff, now I
don't get the QSO and I've wasted more time than it would have taken to just
trade exchanges and move on. Now K4-Blah-Blah will not get the QSO with me he
could have, AND he'll get both a NIL and also a penalty.
So the moral of the story is "don't be like K4-Blah-Blah, when someone says
you're not in their log, you better just work them again and be done with it."
It would have taken less time than the above on-air dialogue.
So Tree, what is the right thing for K4-Blah-Blah do with his #334? Take it out
of the log? Leave it in? Did he perhaps work some other OT but log him as me?
Mark, N5OT
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