[CQ-Contest] Slashed-Zero - Please Don't

[Ward Silver]

> The solution, when checking the log post-contest, is to use a fixed
> width (monospaced) font with a slashed zero. There are plenty
> around. Check out http://tobias-jung.de/seekingprofont/ - there are
> some nice samples there. I use ProFont and/or Proggy fons for email
> and IRC.

Please do NOT use a slashed-zero character in your log!  This character may 
or may not be translated to ASCII '0' by the log-checking software. This 
could require the contest log-checker to have to process your log by hand - 
greatly increasing their trouble.  It's also quite possible that the 
log-checking software would just treat the slashed-zero as something 
completely different than ASCII '0' and bust every call in your log with a 
zero in it!  Maybe every log-checker program for every contest does a global 
search-and-replace for slashed zeros, but I wouldn't bet my UBN on it.

If you want to do a visual inspection of the log for O-0 typos, make a copy 
of the log, use a word processor to do a global search-and-replace of the 
slashed-zero for ASCII '0' in the copy, then inspect it.  Edit the original 
and send that in.

In general, the QSO information in your submitted log - to have the maximum 
compatibility with all reasonable log-checking programs - should have NO 
characters other than plain old ASCII.  That's numerals 0-9, A-Z, a-z, and 
basic punctuation marks.  Anything else is a roll of the dice as to how it 
will be handled.

73, Ward N0AX