[CQ-Contest] Borrowed callsigns

[Stuart Santelmann]

Hi everyone:

        Allow me to throw a match onto this dying thread.  I guess I'm in
the minority on this one, and I'm willing to consider that my thinking is
colored by the fact that I have a WPX-friendly callsign that's actually
assigned to me !
        Firstly, I'm not sure that some of the respondents addressed  the
intent of the original question - either that, or I misunderstood it, hi.
The original post referred to the increasingly common practice of a single
op using someone else's callsign, when the licensee is in no way connected
with the operation aside from "lending" the callsign, and the operation is
clearly not at the QTH of the licensee.  From the responses so far:

-  in N6TJ's example, it should be fine to use the DX station's call - it's
his station, licensed to his QTH !

-  in K4OJ's example, WC4E's call was used at a location not his own, but
when I look at the ops listed for that operation, Jeff is listed as one
    of the ops, and if I know Jeff, he was there for much if not all of the
weekend !  This practice has apparently been OK at least for 20 years.  Jeff
was THERE during the operation.

-  in the NS0Z/K4VX example, I'm assuming that if they are married, they
live together, and NS0Z's license shows that address as the QTH !   No
problem with that !

-  the Rex Maner / WR7HE post may be the only example that accurately
reflects the original question...

Do the FCC regulations really allow for this practice ?  I remember 30 years
ago when we had to be very careful about signing portable, even when at a
friend's house across town.  Then, I think about 20 years ago, apparently it
became unnecessary to sign portable, and then any US call could be anywhere
in the USA.  Have we now gotten to the point where the callsign  used in the
contest doesn't have to give ANY information about the location OR the
operator ?  I don't think this practice is acceptable for DXCC, for example,
otherwise I could have gotten 5BWAZ from KC1XX a long time ago while never
leaving my house !

Consider this:  the operator using the call gets an FCC citation
(unintentionally, of course), which is sent to the licensee, not the
operator.  If it were your callsign being used, can you picture yourself
saying "well, uh, gee, I really don't know anything about it - the operation
wasn't at my house, and I was never there.  I let some guy use my call for
the weekend..."

I'm all for trying to get competitive advantages, within the rules.  I just
wonder if this one is something that we should be doing.  And, I mean no
disrespect to my friends and fellow contesters who may have done this in the
past.  I simply offer my thoughts as fodder for possible discussion.

If you're really looking for that advantage in WPX, trade in your primary
call for a 2x1 !  They work just fine the other 50 weekends too !

                                                        Regards
Stu            KC1F



----- Original Message -----
From: "Kenneth E. Harker" <kharker at cs.utexas.edu>
To: "CQ Contest" <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Tuesday, June 04, 2002 3:41 PM
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Borrowed callsigns


>      I know several big contesters who have "borrowed" the callsigns
> of friends for use in the WPX contests.  They operate single-op at their
> own station, but they just use someone else's (more desirable) callsign
> (with the other party's permission, of course.)
>
>      I wonder how other contesters feel about this practice?
>
> --