[CQ-Contest] Re: Last 2

[W2CE at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/29/99 09:06:44 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
w9sz at prairienet.org writes:

> For one thing, it's illegal.  You are supposed to identify with your full 
>  callsign.

Ever since they changed the rules where the first OFFICIAL signing of your 
call is at the first 10 minute point rather than the start of a QSO the form 
of any calling ID can be argued.  Only 10 minute intervals and ending points 
of a QSO need a formal complete ID with your callsign.  That is callsign and 
not any other form except phonetics as required ID's.

If I can holler "Hey Trey" and he recognizes the voice in the pileup and 
comes back it is still not illegal and it sure better not take me 10 minutes 
to work him in a pileup either.

While full calls may be the best way to entire into a logging program, that 
is for your ease.  It is not a law, nor even supported by many contesters.  
Who can say that they never heard a partial call maybe from a new mult and 
said P5---- your call again please ?

The operator controls the pileup by the methods he handles it.  If guys see 
full calls being copied he gives that.  If the operator is stuck digging out 
calls then other methods com into play. Repetative last 2's have a better 
chance of being heard when only a few milliseconds gap in QRM exists.

The method of choice rolls down to conditions, pileup size and operator 
ablity to control it.  When operators fall beind, doesn't copy an immediate 
caller and studies the pileup for 5 seconds or more every QSO, people are 
going to look for other methods to get themselves poked between the nosie.

On the subject of last 2 <vs> full callsigns, remember that for at least USA 
amateurs to comply with the "followed all rules of my country" that at the 
least you must officially announce you full callsign at the end of every QSO. 
This is not format or coutresy but radio rules. Regardless of contest rules, 
you must still hold a legal QSO.

And to those so willing to not log the guy who called with his last 2 and 
made you go back to edit the call, who looses when you fail to hit the 
<enter> key but rather delete it ?  Odds are he's a weekend warrior make his 
100 Q's or so to fell good and never sends a log.  Just look at the numbers 
of Q's, then the number of logs submitted.  When do we see more than 30% 
submitted logs compared to some of the Q totals.


--
CQ-Contest on WWW:        http://www.contesting.com/_cq-contest/
Administrative requests:  cq-contest-REQUEST at contesting.com