[CQ-Contest] Dupes

[David Robbins K1TTT]

There are still some people who haven't seen the light and still live in
fear of getting dq'ed because they have too many dupes in the log.  Remember
the paper log days when there was a clause in some contest rules that said
something like 'so many % unclaimed dupes can result in dq'.... then along
came computer logs where it wasn't necessary or even possible to mark
dupes... but some people still live by a misconception born of misreading
that old dupe rule.  First, it wasn't the number of dupes in the log that
was bad, it was the number of unclaimed dupes... those dupes where you
claimed points for the second or subsequent contact.  As far as I know there
was never a penalty as long as you properly claimed zero points for all the
dupes you worked.  There was also the poorer log checking in those days that
made it less likely that a busted call in your log would be caught and
penalized, so there wasn't as much incentive to make sure it was right.

Now today you can't even mark logs with dupes, the contest sponsors
automatically do that for you, so the old unclaimed dupe question should be
completely moot.  BUT, today there IS a much greater chance that a busted
call in your log will get caught and penalized.  This makes working dupes
much less painful, and indeed more important, than in the past.  Why?  two
reasons.

1. in most contests it is faster to work the dupes calling you than to get
into an argument and tell them to go away.  A good percentage of the time
the dupe calling you will try again to convince you that they aren't a dupe
thus wasting more time.

2. if you don't work someone who you think is a dupe, and THEY are right
because you aren't in their log, who loses??  If they send in a log, or
maybe even if they don't, YOU do, the points for the qso you thought you had
plus penalty points and possibly a multiplier.  Why aren't you in their log?
Well, maybe they really worked someone else on or near your frequency right
in step with your exchange, or maybe they busted your call, or maybe you
busted some other similar call, or maybe they are a lid and aren't keeping a
log. 

So, turn off that qso b4 automatic message and WORK THE DUPES! 


David Robbins K1TTT
e-mail: mailto:k1ttt at arrl.net
web: http://www.k1ttt.net
AR-Cluster node: 145.69MHz or telnet://dxc.k1ttt.net
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:cq-contest-
> bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Tom Osborne
> Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2005 22:43
> To: CQ-Contest
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] Dupes
> 
> 
> OK, here is another reason to work dupes.  I was playing around on 160
> Friday night and thought I'd make a few contacts in the RAC.  I started at
> the bottom of the band and worked my way up.  When I got to VE6***, he
> sent
> "QSO B4" and started CQ'ing again.  He was my 4th contact in the contest
> and
> first VE station.
> 
> 73 and Merry Christmas
> Tom W7WHY
> 
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