[CQ-Contest] Last 2 Revisited and Another Question

[John T. Laney, III]

Hi Mel:  I think one of the reasons that many of us (myself included)
give out a lot of 59 and 599 reports that we don't really mean in
contests is that two of the three contest logging programs I am familiar
with (NA and CT) do not allow the recording of any other sent report. 
If you want to show a different report, you would have to make a pencil
note of it (or put it in a BAD type note file) for later changing with a
text editor.  TR I understand allows recording of other signal reports
and I would hope the others would eventually also.

In the DXpedition mode using CT when I am at 8P9HT, I often give out
signal reports other than 59 and 599.  I record the report I sent in the
report received column so I have a record of it and don't keep a record
of the report received (which is usually 599 or 59 because of the DX
location, call, and big signal anyway).  Of course, in the initial burst
of QSL requests, I print the labels off the computer and they all say
599 or 59, but afterwards, when there are just a few a day, I put the
actual report on the reply card.  That's one person's attempt to give
some honest reports in today's computer age.

On the other hand, some operators, even with the ability to record a
report other than 59 or 599 would not give any other report thinking
that it might slow them down a tiny bit.  But, you are right, it is
ludicrous to give a 59 or 599 report to a station that you can barely
hear, especially when not going full bore in a major contest or a major
rare DXpedition.  Once upon a time, the reports received, even in
contests, had meaning as to how well your gear was working, how the
conditions were, AND the quality of your signal (at least on CW).  We
will never return to those days, but some changes to NA and CT would be
nice so those who don't want to give out the rote 599 and 59 to every
QSO could do so and properly record it.  

Incidentally, I don't want to appear to be picking on my friends K1EA
and K8CC as I assume there are other logging programs out there with the
same problem.  It's just that I haven't bought or downloaded them yet,
so I don't know about those.  

73, John, K4BAI.


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