[CQ-Contest] [RTTY] dupes

[Ed Muns]

> I don't use TR or N1MM, but if this is true, then 
> why do these programs require you to apparently override a 
> duplicate prevention scheme in the first place?

TR-Log is seldom used in RTTY contests, but it is common in CW and my
preferred CW logger.  TR-Log can be configured to automatically work dupes
or to inhibit transmission when you try to work a dupe.  Moreover, you can
set this parameter independently for run mode or S&P mode.  Therefore, I set
run mode to work dupes and S&P mode to block me from calling a station which
TR-Log detects is already in my log.

1.  In run mode, I don't care what reason someone might call me when they
are already in my log.  Even if I really am safely and correctly in THEIR
log and they still call me, I don't care.  There is no faster way to deal
with this situation than simply completing the contact and moving on.  Since
there is no penalty for dupes, and I don't want to risk a NIL penalty, this
is a no-brainer.

2.  In S&P mode, I want my transmission blocked because I am seldom looking
at my logging screen at the moment I get the call sign typed in and hit
<Enter>, so I want to be stopped at that point from calling a station that I
already have logged previously.  That does save us both time.  For me, it is
quicker to type in the call sign and let the program immediately do one of
two things:
	a. Dump my call sign in if not a dupe, or
	b. Inhibit transmission if it is a dupe, in which case I keep
tuning.

> Is this just 
> in a RTTY contest that dupes don't count against you, or is 
> it the same for all contests?

With rare exception, all contests in all modes now take Cabrillo logs and
ignore dupes, with the log checking software calculating the score after
removing dupes and bad QSOs (busted call signs and exchanges) and assessing
any penalties (reducing QSO count).

> This goes back to the 
> question, what counts for less, working a dupe or having a 
> NIL?  I agree, if I work you again, its because you're not in 
> my log, which means either you work a dupe, or get a NIL.

Not necessarily true, Charlie.  The station could be in your log and you
still call again by mistake.  This could be because you don't notice it is a
dupe, or your software is not configured to tell you it is a dupe, you are
tired and make a mistake, or any number of reasons.  The reason does not
matter.  Your conclusion, though, is still the same ... the QSO should
simply be completed at that point rather than either one of you wasting time
trying to stop it or sort it out.

I posted a personal example of this here yesterday.  This past weekend in
the SCC RTTY Championship, I called a station that was already in my log and
WriteLog ID'd as a dupe.  However, at the time, I was distracted with
something else, didn't check the WriteLog screen to see that it was telling
me this was a dupe, and furthermore had it in my brain that I had worked
this station on a different band and not yet on this band.  Fortunately, the
other station simply worked me which saved us both time by not sending "QSO
B4" and trying to wake me up to what was going on.  My point is that
WriteLog correctly notified me I was calling for a duplicate contact and I
still made a mistake by calling anyway.  Stuff happens.
 
> Writelog notifies you if it's a dupe, but there's no warning 
> or prevention for letting you enter it in the log.  It just 
> doesn't score any points.

That's fine for when you are in run mode and someone calls you.  But I do
think it is convenient when the program can be configured to prohibit my
calling a dupe when I am in S&P mode.  That way I can quickly enter a call
sign, hit <Enter> to let the program dump my call sign in based on whether
it is a new QSO or prohibit transmission if it is a dupe.  For me, this is
more efficient than typing in the call sign and moving my attention to the
logging screen to see if it is a dupe before then taking action to send my
call sign or wipe the Entry window.  In CW, this extra hesitation usually
means my timing is a second or so later than another caller who gets the
QSO.  On RTTY, the delay is less an issue, but I still personally prefer to
let the program decide so I can eliminate the need to read the screen and
apply my brain to the task of dupe-checking.  

73,
Ed - W0YK