[CQ-Contest] Lost leading "dit" - both sides

[Scott R.]

Someone wrote to me privately: 

>[Scott] I think the "lost leading dit" problem that Brett is 
>referring to is the problem of losing the first character 
>of the callsign of stations calling YOU after a CQ.  If 
>the QSK delay is adjusted to be long enough so the amplifier 
>doesn't drop out between letters, it also doesn't drop out 
>after a CQ is completed.  He is not talking about the 
>"leading dit" from the transmitter.  That is a different
>issue entirely.

Ah, OK - I got ahead of myself.  I thought we were discussing
hot-switching linear amplifiers and the need to PTT control them to
avoid losing the beginning of a CW transmission.

If I am running semi- or non-QSK I always just adjust the QSK delay and
amp hang time so that it doesn't quite drop out during CQ's and then
instantly releases after the end of my CQ.  I haven't ever experienced
the "missing dit" on incoming callsigns when I am CQing.  I just adjust
QSK delay and/or amp hang time so the transmission ends at the end of
my CQ and then I respond to the caller.  Other times, I run total full
break-in and this is even more of a non-issue.  

Scott Robbins, W4PA


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