If you follow the CQ-Contest Reflector to discuss cut numbers, the pros or
cons of packet spotting and skimmers, or the inequities of the CQWWDXC
scoring system, feel free to press <delete> now.
Last Saturday, while driving around with Gary, AF8A, in the Michigan QSO
Party, I had the chance to do some observing. Not watching him (I was
watching the road while he was operating from a back seat), but listening on a
speaker while hearing the computer keys being punched, the paddles sending CW,
and an occasional expletive from the operator.
There were the occasional pauses between when a station stopped sending and
when Gary started sending the TU/QRZ message. I often run into this from
other stations. What I noticed was that this was usually a matter of him
still typing (often involving a correction) before he hit the <+> key to log
the qQSO and send the TU message.
I think many of us are so accustomed to using the single keystroke to log
the QSO and send the TU/QRZ message, that we are at times losing a precious
few seconds, and more important, smooth timing, by doing so. If you wait so
long to start sending that the other guy starts sending his report again,
you're really gummed things up.
So rather that relying on the <+> or <enter> key (using an
enter-sends-message format), if you are still typing, hit the TU/QRZ message
key
(typically <F3>) as soon as the other guy is done. Continue typing, and once
you've
got the information correctly logged, then hit <enter> to separately log
the QSO.
This is an even greater improvement if you presently log an incorrectly
entered QSO, and then have to cursor up to fix what you just sent a TU for.
I find that this technique contributes to a much smoother pileup. And you
probably save as much time as you would by sending ENN instead of 5NN.
(Sorry guys, I had to keep the cut number fans in the loop :) )
73 - Jim K8MR
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