[CQ-Contest] Re: ROTTEN OPERATING

[Doug Smith W9WI]

> Some operators JUST DON'T CARE and are inherently sloppy.  During the
> pileups from Brazil in WW SSB and Ascension in WW CW, when plagued by a
> sudden spurt of dupes (thinking perhaps I was a victim of R.O. NO. 1,
> above), I took the time to stop the pileup, and asked the offending station,
> "just whom do you think you're calling?"  (that's allot of fun on CW), or
> "what do you think my call is?", and it was absolutely amazing to me HOW
> MANY guys (at least honestly), confessed that they had NO IDEA who I was.
> Wonderful!  Result: DUPE for both of us.

I was at the other end of one of these queries in the WW CW.  You hadn't
signed your call at the end of the previous QSO - IMHO a pretty good reason
for having no idea who you were<grin>!  

When I heard "5NN 36" I was pretty sure it was you.  But if I passed the
zone 36 station by assuming it was ZD8Z, and later learned it was actually
3C0XYZ, I'd be rather miffed!

(I know you say you ID every time - and usually you do, unlike the folks
AA4LR is complaining about.  I also know that even when you try to do so,
every once in awhile you'll miss one.  Seems to happen to me most often when
I've finished a difficult QSO with a lot of hand-sent code.  And yes,
chances are the next QSO will be a dupe!)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
One can build up some pretty decent rates while S&P.  If a running station
doesn't ID, you can:

1. Pass him by, tune on to the next running station.  And risk losing a
valid QSO - and possibly a multiplier.  

2. Keep listening until he IDs and you can tell whether he's a dupe. 

3. Call him anyway and ask for his call.

#1 is the fastest, and the least likely to add to your score.  *IF* he IDs
on the next QSO, and if he's a dupe, #2 and #3 are equally fast.  If he
*doesn't* ID next time - or if he *isn't* a dupe - #3 is faster.  Guess
which one I'll choose!
-- 
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View (Nashville), TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com


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