[CQ-Contest] SS Rules

[John Laney]

It isn't clear that the SS check is always the year of first licensing 
of the station owner.  Many may interpret it to be the year first 
licensed of the station operator.  What is clear is that it must be the 
same for the station for the whole contest.  If the station you mention 
had a guest operator, he may have been using his own year of first 
licensing.  When I operated SS as a guest op at W4AN, I used my own 
check "54" instead of Bill's check of "81" or whatever was his year of 
first licensing.  He advised me not to do that because his year was in a 
lot of computer files, but I used my own anyway, just like I sent my 
name as "John" when I was the only guest op at W4AN in NAQPs.

Another possible explanation is temporary mental error.  One station 
gave me check "29" this weekend.  I decided to ask, instead of just 
logging what didn't seem to be correct for someone who wasn't a club or 
school station.  The reply was, "Oh, did I really say that?  I meant to 
say "92."

The important thing is that a two-digit number be sent for the "check" 
and that it be the same for the whole contest.  The "year first 
licensed" is not clearly defined and I think it is OK for each person to 
define it for himself or herself.

73,


John, K4BAI.