[CQ-Contest] Meaningful Contest Exchange

[Jim Cain]

I am not privileged to receive the National Contest Journal so I am responding only to what I have read in comments on an article by K6VVA.

You can prove you made radio contact by having the other station's call sign. The only thing I can think of that is important in an exchange is multiplier information, e.g. state, ARRL Section, Canadian province, county, CQ zone, ITU zone, country (DXCC entity). 

I have chosen to operate contests without computers and databases and I have no time to try to keep up with the country prefix du jour. This is why I'd like every contest exchange to include multiplier info. It seems to me anything else is superfluous.

The ARRL Sweepstakes began 70 years ago with an exchange intended to simulate a real traffic message preamble. It was modified and shortened several decades later at contesters' requests. There's a historical connection between the SS of 2003 and the SS of the 1930s, and that may be why it brings out casual operators in droves. 

The Sprints are fun because having the operator's name in the exchange reminds us of something important. 

Having something fun and interesting in the exchange is good. Mindlessly sending 5nn is a waste of energy.

Something else I would find very interesting in an exchange would be the operator's most recent former call sign. Or first call sign. 

jim cain, ex-WA9AUM