I'm going to agree with K0AD on this, using a prefill or database is a
tool that can help improve your accuracy and reduce fatigue. As with any
tool when used improperly it can do more harm than good. But to start
expecting the other station to send something based on their call sign
or what is in a prefill or database, as some suggest is asking for
trouble.
Years ago when you heard a W1 you knew where he was unless the person
sign portable. Now the W1 can move the Florida and retain his call and
doesn't have to sign portable. That taught me to stop predicting what
was going to be sent and to copy what is sent. My errors dropped as a
result.
If what the person sends matches the prefill great less typing, if not,
enter the correct data and move on. I don't question what was sent
because the prefill doesn't match as I know the prefill is not 100%
accurate. Like wise I don't question the KL7 who sends VA for their
section as it is very possible for the KL7 to be in VA. Then in the
situation I work someone and the prefill indicates WPA and I receive
"static" PA I do ask for a repeat. Again I don't trust the prefill to
be that accurate as the person may have moved to EPA.
By properly using the various tools available and proper operating
techniques a person can minimize their errors and maximize their score.
Bill
AC0W
Message: 2
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 15:06:45 -0500
From: Alan Dewey via CQ-Contest <cq-contest@contesting.com>
To: Robert.Chudek@gmail.com, cq-contest@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] 1980s checks in SS/SSB.
Message-ID: <8D1D3DDCEDB00BE-884-59184@webmail-vm056.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
I've said this before. I don't user pre-fill data bases to prevent me
from having to copy. I use them to reduce the amount of TYPING I have
to do. I still think it is important that every exchange be copied
every time. It's just that, if it matches what is on your pre-fill,
what type it again? Does contesting really need to be a test of how
fast you can accurately type?
Lots of guys changed thier check in SS this year. Nothing wrong with
that in my opinion.
73,
Al, K0AD
------------------------------
Message: 3
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2014 15:28:42 -0500
From: Richard Ferch <ve3iay@storm.ca>
To: Kelly Taylor <ve4xt@mymts.net>, cq-contest@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] 1980s checks in SS/SSB.
Message-ID: <546FA07A.2060005@storm.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
Hi Kelly,
I may not have made my point well enough.
Of course you should copy what was sent, and I agree that you aren't
going to be penalized by the contest adjudicators if you send a
different exchange in different years. That wasn't my point.
My point was that when sending my own exchange, I want it to be as
predictable as possible. That's not so much to ensure that the other
person will get it right - that's really their problem, not mine. More
importantly from the point of view of my own self-interest, it's to
minimize the time it takes for us to complete the QSO.
If the other person is copying what they hear, but what they hear is
unexpected, it may take them a bit longer to get it than it would be
if what they heard was expected. The chances of their asking for a
repeat are probably increased a bit because of the surprise factor. A
hesitation or repeat only slows them down for that one QSO, but it may
affect a lot of my QSOs. By the end of the contest, the one who
suffers most from all those hesitations and repeats could well be me.
As for whether to use autofill features or not, the risk of having the
autofill lead you astray and losing credit for the odd QSO may indeed
be more costly than the time you save by not having to type in the
autofilled part of the exchanges. That's a decision each of us has to
make when setting up for a contest. But I don't see the point in
trying to discourage someone else from using autofill by deliberately
trying to trip him up.
Contesting is not a zero-sum game; the goal is not to make the other
person make mistakes so you come out ahead of them. The goal is for
both of you to exchange the required information as quickly and
accurately as you can. In the interests of minimizing wasted time, one
of my own objectives is to make my exchange as predictable and easy to
copy as possible. As far as I can see, changing my check every year
only gets in the way of achieving the goal.
73,
Rich VE3KI
End of CQ-Contest Digest, Vol 143, Issue 28
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