[CQ-Contest] Re: copying weak signals was: K4OJ's problem

[Marijan Miletic, S56A]

Hi Judge,

On both ARRL 10 m days I tried to use "state of the art" USA M$ technology
like Intel 300 MHz CPU on Intel motherboard, Windows 2000, program written
in Visual Basic using Access relational base.
I was getting lousy CW output on LPT port.  Dashes would be shortened, no
leading zeros and I would end up as S55A with 5xx serial numbers instead of
4xx.  Fortunately there is another Win program which sends good Morse code
but proper queue spacing must be manually preprogrammed.  Zero is sent as
five dashes and I had repeat requests because of it!  I was even thinking of
going back to DOS on 66 MHz 486 and my own program written in 80's...

There is an increasing number of EU CW ops while USA numbers go down.  5NN
has the sole function of separation character so ENN can do the same.
I prefer to send A5 while receiving just 5 from USA.  It should be properly
guessed by computer in 99% of cases.

I always try to dig weak callers considering it as a basic courtesy and
hamspirit!  With master.dta it is so easy.
I am looking forward to the contest with meaningful exchange like serial
number or forthcoming big squares.

I am well aware that there are a lot of contesters addicted to the high QSO
rates.  I do that in multi-op teams only.

73 de Mario, S56A, N1YU


----- Original Message -----
  From: John Laney
  To: K0LUZ at topsusa.com
  Cc: cq-contest at contesting.com
  Sent: Tuesday, December 18, 2001 8:19 PM
  Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Re: copying weak signals was: K4OJ's problem



  Someone should get the word out to Europeans that J is not a cut number
  for 1. A is the correct cut number for 1.  But, many Europeans seem to
  be sending J for 1 and I am always afraid it is really a 2 and I missed
  a dit.  But, all they will do is repeat J, so I have to eventually guess
  that they mean 1.

  I guess I understand ops who can't seem to count dots at high speeds,
  but it is amazing that there are so many who can't seem to count dashes
  at any speed.  Some (again mostly in Europe) even have their computers
  and keyers programmed to send their calls with impossible combinations
  of dots and dashes that don't add up to real letters or numbers.  After
  a few years, you can get so you recognize these guys and know what their
  calls really should be.  But, why do they create such problems for
  themselves?

  73,

  John, K4BAI/8P9HT/8P9Z.


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