[CQ-Contest] Final thoughts on Contest exchange (long)

[Rick Bullon]

  First let me say that I'm no CW op and I don't work the cw contests.
Now that I have disqualified myself as have any right to tell you how to 
work a cw contest you can delete this.
  It is my understanding that contesting started as a way for Hams to 
keep up their skills for passing traffic on the NTS. THe idea was to see 
who could handle traffic the fastest and with fewer mistakes. Now I 
could be all wet on this and totally wrong, but just assume that the 
above is true. If you look at the rules in this way they you can see why 
they we are suppose to give  a true RST and copy the exchange as sent. 
 It seems that contesting today is to not receive the exchange correctly 
but to see how many contacts we can make in a defined time frame. This 
is the same aim of DX stations work as many contacts as fast as possible 
and the heck with the info in the exchange thus we all send 599 and zone 
qth or serial number thus we all are practicing to be a DX station, yes 
I know this is the idea in the DX contests. One person stated that it 
makes no difference what was sent or understood as long as the contact 
was made ( I'm going on memory here now I deleted the message) If this 
is true then we need to make it a I hear you contest no rst no zones no 
serial numbers no Multi's and the heck with if I get the call right. The 
scoring would be easier too all you have to do is count up the contacts 
and that is your score.
  The above is to show how screwed up this can get. Like I said before 
I'm not a cw op but if I was in a cw contest and heard these "cut 
numbers" I would treat them the same way I treat a station in a SSB 
contest that sends the last 2 in his call I say " Full calls only 
please" if he comes back with the last 2 again I respond " I need your 
full call please" if he still doesn't send he full call then I treat him 
as the same as the QRM on the band.
  I too am going tried of this thread and think it has run it's course. 
I don't think we will change very many in the way they operate. If you 
don't like the stations using the shortcuts then you can do as above and 
ignore them. You score will suffer but so will theirs as they didn't get 
to work you in the contest. we don't really care what the RST is in a 
contest and I doubt that the log checkers even look at it, but the rest 
of the proscribed exchange needs be sent as per the rules. No I'm not 
saying if you don't go strictly by the rules you should be DQ'ed and I'm 
not trying to tell the cw ops how to run your contest, but we do need to 
try and keep the exchanges as intended. I have heard it said that 
contesters always have better stations than the average op that is into 
ragchewing or DXing and if an flood tornado etc happens we will probably 
be the ones still on the air and have to handle the traffic. If we keep 
our skills up in contesting then we can handle the task by being able to 
send and receive using methods that the non contesting hams can 
understand.
  This is suppose to be fun and it is most of the time, maybe I got a 
few of you to thinking. I know a few are upset with my comments if so 
flame away I still have a delete key and flames don't upset me any more. 
 As for me I will try to abide by the rules some times I might slip an 
bend one or break a few but I'm in it for the fun and if I manage to get 
a high score or even win a contest  that is just a bonus the main thing 
is to have fun and if mother nature tears things up around here and I'm 
still able to get on the air maybe my skills will enable me to help with 
the traffic
73
Rick
KC5AJX
 

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