[CQ-Contest] Logging "QRP, or Mobile" contacts

[Trey Garlough]

> The think that I don't like about signing /QRP is that it
> makes it harder to figure out the callsign - esp. if the 
> station calling is weak.  It happened more than once 
> during the ARRL CW contest.  In the noise and QSB I hear:
> 
> JA3   /QRP   A    /QRP    JA   T  /QRP  /QRP  
> 
> Now if the staion would just send his callsign - it would be better. 
> I never log the /QRP part. 

George offers an excellent example of why signing /QRP is really bad
operating technique.  For the benefit of some of the newer readers,
I'll explain *why* this is a poor practice.

Considering Geo's example, it looks like the caller sends hiscall/QRP
three times, then tosses in an extra /QRP just for emphasis.

> JA3   /QRP   A    /QRP    JA   T  /QRP  /QRP  
  ^^^^^^^^^^  ^^^^^^^^^^    ^^^^^^^^^^^^
       #1         #2            #3

Note that because of QSB or QRM, Geo only managed to copy 23
characters of the caller's transmission in the clear.  Of the 23
characters, unfortunately only 7 are interesting and the other 16
letters that got through were wasted on sending "/QRP".  Now Geo needs
at least one more "over" (only one if he is lucky) to get this mess
straightened out.  Instead of sending his call only three times, the
caller could have sent his call five times had he foregone sending
/QRP and he might have made it into George's log on the first over.

Unfortunately for the caller, after Geo requests a fill a net fires up
on frequency (or the band fades, or the pileup goes out of control)
and Geo never hears the JA respond so he deletes the partial call from
his log.

The failure of this QSO is a result of inferior operating technique
on the part of the caller.

--Trey, N5KO


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