[CQ-Contest] Sweepstakes: Should I be penalized for getting my license in 2000?

[W2RU - Bud Hippisley]

Ron Notarius W3WN wrote:

>Jeff, FWIW, you are absolutely correct.  That's what the rules say, that's
>what's supposed to be done.  The reality is that some people don't follow that rule.
>  
>
I've been following this thread with interest and bemusement.

Some CK years are, in fact, more difficult to copy through QRN, or to 
manually send properly, it's true.  But then, so are some call signs.  
Like locations, antennas, family commitments, etc., not every CK or 
every call is created equal.  Yes, the rules say to use the year you 
were first licensed.  Yes, various ARRL staffers over the years have 
said "just pick a 2-dgit number and stick with it".

But I'd like to put forth a little different slant on the topic.

The Sweepstakes is special to me because I perceive it as a very 
"fraternalistic" event.  In many QSOs I'm working people I've been 
competing against for decades.  It's almost like a high school class 
reunion.   In other QSOs I'm hearing checks that start with a zero and 
I'm marveling at how good so many of these new ops are with just a few 
years of being on the air.  I *enjoy* hearing all these CKs, new and 
old, and I would like to believe they're truly the year first licensed 
for the operator.

My own CK is no prize -- I have struggled for decades getting people to 
be able to copy "54" through QRM, QRN, and QSB without repeats.  But 
it's a badge of honor to me -- I'm proud of that number, and I can't 
imagine putting a fake replacement out there in its place.  So....with 
automated sending of CT and other software, I've found -- as others have 
suggested here -- that adding extra spaces before the "5" and between 
the "5" and the "4" has been a big help.  I also find adding a space 
after the first letter of "WNY" or "NNY" similarly beneficial.  In true 
Farnsworth tradition, extra spacing seems to work better for the folks I 
work than changing speed in the middle of the SS message.

If you can't find a better solution to getting your CK across to others 
than changing your FCC-given (or DOC-given) pair of digits to some 
"scientifically" determined ones, I submit you're likely to get beaten 
for other, more compelling reasons than a "poor" CK.

In short, part of the reason I get in the SS is that it's fun.  And part 
of the fun for me is putting CKs with call signs.  It would be sad if 
there were mass movement toward depersonalizing the check.

Bud, W2RU