[CQ-Contest] Callsign Advantages

[Ron Notarius WN3VAW]

I miss Trey's old call.  And for personal reasons... it's his fault I got
this call back (I'd read in a QST Stray of some of the old Novice calls
being re-assigned after the prefix change, his amongst others being
specifically mentioned, so when I went for my Tech, I figured what the
heck... otherwise would have had one of the first N3AAx calls as they were
issued to many of the others I took the test with, but I digress)  To this
day, many if not most active contesters here "WN4" and figure "KKN" to
follow.

When in college, we often had a small problem with the club call on CW.  To
wit:

"CQ TEST CQ TEST DE K3CR K3CR K3CR K"
"K3CRK K3CRK DE WW0XYZ WW0XYZ"

...problem was solved by sending "AR" or "AR K" instead of just a "K"

In any event, this has been a fun thread.  But based on the calls I've
heard, worked, and/or used over the years (either my own or a club call or
when operating from a friends's QTH), I don't think there is a single ideal
call.  Under a given mode or condition, something will be too long, too
short, too hard to pick out in a pileup, too close to someone else's,
whatever.

Heck, I'd've thought that after all these years, if the "WN3" didn't help
out, the "VAW" might.  But I don't have Trey's stature (nor did I ever
expect to, he's a Big Gun, I'm somewhere between a Little Pistol and a
Squirt Gun), there are a few WN3 2x1's active occasionally, and I've been
told that there's an active "3VAW" somewhere up in Canada.  So it goes!

73, ron wn3vaw

"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood... won't you be my neighbor?"
Fred Rodgers, "Mister Rogers Neighborhood," SK, 27 February 2003

----- Original Message -----
Date: Tue, 11 Mar 2003 18:51:16 -0800
From: "Dennis Younker NE6I" <SunGodX at cox.net>
To: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Callsign Advantages

Lots of good thoughts on this subject from all.  Some of mine:

Mark's Dubya Five Dubya Ell is as many syllables (or more) than many calls
using phonetics (IE: Norway Six Mike Mike).

Not sure what the aversion to phonetics is.  I've always tried to stay with
punchy ones and/or appropriate ones for the contest.  With my own call,
NE6I, I typically use Norway Echo Six India.  Fairly punchy, and the use of
Norway and India works pretty well with the DX stations.  Echo happens to be
a universal phonetic so that works out.

On CW, my very short call seems to work well as I can send it twice in the
time it takes many to send theirs once.  Three times in the time it takes
Mark to send his old call (WA6OTU) (hi).  I agree with Jeff's (WK6I) comment
that the "I" on the end seems to be okay on CW.  The downside for my own
call is that on CW, it does not work well in weak signal conditions.  The E
and sometimes the I get lost in the noise.

At an SCCC meeting many years ago, I recall a similar discussion where most
considered the best call to be a 1x2 with the suffix being the same letters,
preferably something ending with a dah on CW.  Dick Norton's N6AA being the
perfect example.  I have to admit that over the years, these types of calls
have been some of the easiest for me to copy in a QRM situation or during a
Sprint on CW.  N6VV, N6MM, N5MM, K2VV are some that pop into my mind.

On CW,  some that give me trouble are the ones where the letter preceding or
immediately following the number are similar sounding, IE (and I'll make
these up) K5HM, WJ1A, KV4H (ouch) and some with incredible combinations of
dits and dahs, IE WQ7Y, K2QTY and the like.  These cause me to concentrate
harder during the translation from ears to pencil or keyboard (copying to
logging, that is).  The less concentration, the better off I am.

To Jim Neiger's comment about ZD8Z, I have to admit that sometimes hearing
him flying on CW, I have to pause and listen an extra time or two to be sure
of the call.  Usually though, after hearing him once in a given contest, I
know immediately that it's him as I hear him on the other bands.

Familiarity does count!  Witness Trey's old call of WN4KKN!  Regardless of
the conditions you heard him on CW, about the time he hit the number 4 on
CW, you already knew the suffix!

Just my two cents,
Dennis NE6I

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