Sweepstakes Log Checking

[John Montague]

> Is the penalty only for only busted calls, or any error in copy?
> If only busted calls, what is penalty for other busted info?
> (I ask cuz my copy of rules is not available here at office.)
> My first reaction is that all copy errors should carry the SAME penalty.
> de Hans, K0HB

Agree with consistency as a requirement for equitable treatment.  
Someone else asked what the algorithm is for "Busted" call 
determination; I too would like to know for I can think of many 
circumstances that might have an erroneous apperance of a "mis-copied 
call" and only one circumstance where reasonable surity can be had that 
mis-copy of a call has occurred and even that is not fool-proof.

Consider -

Logs being compared - Station A and Station B

  Station A's call appears on Station B's log at time T on band F
  Station C's call, similar to A, appears in B's log at time T on band F

  Then for the stated condition the following conclusions can be drawn:

  If all submitted logs contain all QSO attempts, including incomplete QSOs
     ===                        ===----------------------------------------
    If Station C submitted a log
      If Station C's log does contain B at T
        If C's log shows a complete QSO
          Then B's log is correct
        Otherwise
          Then B's log is incorrect
        End If
        If there was a station D with a call similar to B operating
        on band F at time T that did not submit a log
          Then Station A's log may have a busted call
        Otherwise
          A's log is in error
        End If (NOTE: because D did not submit a log, it is not
                      possible to determine why A's log is in error)
      Otherwise
        Then B's log is in error
          If there was a station D with a call similar to B operating on 
          band F at time T that did not submit a log
            Then Station A's log may have a busted call
          Otherwise
            A's log may be OK
          End If (NOTE: because D did not submit a log, it is not
                        possible to determine if A's log is OK)
      End If
    Otherwise
      NO CONCLUSION CAN BE DRAWN because
      A may have worked B: A's log is OK, B's log has a busted call, or
      A may really have worked C: A's log may has a busted call, or
      A may have tried to work C when B really worked C:
                                A's log is wrong, B's log is OK, or
      A may have tried to work B when B really worked C:
                                A's log is wrong, B's log is OK, or
      A may have tried to work B while B tried to work C while C tried A:
                                A's log & B's log are wrong
  Otherwise
    If Station C submitted a log containing B at T
      Then B's log is correct, and
      No determination can be made about A's log for A may actually have
      worked B but for some reason B failed to log the QSO (ever heard
      of human error?)
    Otherwise
      NO CONCLUSIONS CAN BE DRAWN (see above)
  End If

Because we can not rule out human error, and because it is not fair to 
penalize one person for another person's error, the only thing that can 
be said about a call sign mis-match is that the QSO is questionable.  
There are many other things that could label a QSO questionable.  Only a 
sizable Questionable QSO rate should warrant invoking a penalty.

John
W0RUE