[CQ-Contest] Re: Two letter, or partial, calls

[Robert Naumann]

Perhaps I should have taken broader view of this issue rather than limit it
to it's relevance to contests.

In the case Bill cites here, a novice operator claims that using the last
two is the technique he has heard being used, so he's emulating that.  Aha
 He's been learning bad stuff I don't think he's been observing too
many good operators in a contest.

This is an appropriate way to learn but what he's learned is the problem.  I
believe the way to resolve this problem cannot begin during a contest.
Perhaps the DX community will need to be convinced that this is poor
operating style but I doubt that will occur.  The list mentality has
gotten so prevalent and accepted that I'm afraid it'll more difficult to
bring about than the Titanic.

KE9NA asks what's so liddish and obnoxious about using the last two
letters of your
call when trying to get a DX station to hear you?  Or the last three
letters?  Or the first two letters?  What is the big deal? 

The simple answer is that the guy your calling may be able to hear your
entire call so why not send the whole thing ?  If you send November Alpha
and I hear November Five Kilo Oscar call at the same time, I'm going to
call N5KO and work him because I know he'll be in he log quicker and whoever
NA is will probably call again.  In this scenario, you can see how it slows
the caller down.  He may not get the QSO first.

The argument may be made that your whole call may not get through - well
that's fine.  When you're sending last two, only one may get through.  I
have had situations where all I'm getting is last two calls.  I clearly hear
November Alpha.  I go back to November Alpha - Five-Nine-Eight - your
call ?  And no one responds.
It turns our that November something else called and something
else Alpha called and I didn't get enough of either call to distinguish
them.

If your call is too long, the fix for that is quite well known and certainly
no excuse.

73,

Bob

Robert E. Naumann
N5NJ / V26O
Plano, TX  USA
ex KR2J, V26RN, W6V, WA2OVE
----- Original Message -----
From: +ADw-W1HIJCW+AEA-aol.com+AD4-
To: +ADw-cq-contest+AEA-contesting.com+AD4-
Sent: Thursday, July 29, 1999 4:19 AM
Subject: Re: +AFs-CQ-Contest+AF0- Re: Two letter, or partial, calls


+AD4-
+AD4-
+AD4- In a message dated 7/28/99 09:31:14 Pacific Daylight Time, n5nj+AEA-att.net
+AD4- writes:
+AD4-
+AD4- +AD4-  I
+AD4- +AD4-  doubt seriously that many of those listening are
+AD4- +AD4-  analyzing the techniques involved in order to emulate
+AD4- +AD4-  them.
+AD4-
+AD4- No doubt true -- however, I was stunned at a gathering recently (a sort of
+AD4- local ham fest) where a station had been set up to demonstrate HF to the
+AD4- beginner crowd. Some sort of phone contest was going on with an opening on
+AD4- 10M (I no longer remember what it was) and a couple of LU's had pretty
good
+AD4- signals. An acquaintance of mine happened by while I was tuning around and
I
+AD4- suggested that he call the LU then tuned in, thinking that he might get a
+AD4- kick out of an LU contact with his KF6 tech plus call. Much to my chagrin,
he
+AD4- picked up the mic, waited for an opportune moment and then shouted
+ACI-charlie
+AD4- quebec, charlie quebec+ACI- (his +ACI-last two+ACI-). I suggested that perhaps he
might
+AD4- want to use his whole call, and told him why. His response? --- +ACI-well,
when I
+AD4- listen to the bands that's what I hear, so that's what I thought was
right+ACI-.
+AD4-
+AD4- Remember the original post was a plea for suggestions to correct this
+AD4- situation. Ignoring it will only make it worse as newcomers to the hobby
and
+AD4- contesting do the natural thing and emulate what they hear on the air.
+AD4-
+AD4- 73,
+AD4-
+AD4- Bill
+AD4- W1HIJ
+AD4-
+AD4-
+AD4- --
+AD4- CQ-Contest on WWW:        http://www.contesting.com/+AF8-cq-contest/
+AD4- Administrative requests:  cq-contest-REQUEST+AEA-contesting.com
+AD4-




















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