[CQ-Contest] Off time at start

[Tree]

K7QQ wonders:

> OK guys answer this one,  I start operating SS  at 2128,  Do I get to take
> the full off time or did I start at 2100  ???

The same exclusion for the 30 minute off time minimum that applies to the 
end of the contest works at the start of it as well.  So, you took 28 minutes 
off.

One other general comment about this method.  While it might seem that we are 
being a little harsh about how off time is calculated - the truth is that 
most logs will actually be counted with more off time than was actually 
taken.  

If you follow the rules - and decide after 3 minutes of fruitless CQing that 
it is time to take a break - you would write that time down as the start of
your breaktime in your log.  However, today, the log check software will 
start counting your break with the minute after your last QSO.

The same thing happens when you return from your break.  Your break doesn't
end until you actually make a QSO.

This reality is a direct result of having no way to communicate on time and
off times in the Cabrillo format.  The log checking software has to deduce
your on/off times strictly from the times your QSOs were logged.  

There are some logs that have really messed up QSO times.  Some of these 
logs were entered after the contest and the time doesn't reflect when the
QSO was actually made.  In those cases, the on time might be displayed as
24 hours, when it actually was much less.  This problem would not be 
tolerated for a competitive log however.

K5ZD has included much of the information discussed in this thread in the 
writeup.  

73 Tree N6TR
n6tr at arrl.org