[CQ-Contest] Contest Calls

[David Pruett]

ku8e at bellsouth.net wrote:
>   Last time I checked the prefix for Dominica was J7 not J70. I see nothing confusing 
>  about some one using J7OJ as their call. I recall many people using 1x1 calls in past
>  contests like J7J and J7K from Dominica. Can't recall any J7 and some number after it call
>
>   I think  a lot of these broken calls have to do with some of the programs having a point and click
>   bandmap. Point  to the bandmap and click, It moves your VFO to the frequency and enters the call
>   in the callsign field of your program. If you are tired and it's late at night you might not be able to 
>   tell the difference between J70J and J7OJ on your computer screen.
>
>
> Jeff  KU8E
>   
Jeff,

Yes, the prefix for Dominica is J7, but convention allows that to be 
followed by another numeric digit.  Your argument is like saying that 
the prefix for Canada is VE, but that doesn't mean that there can't be a 
numeric digit after the VE (indeed, Canada's callsign structure 
*requires* the next digit be numeric).

In response to your comment that "Can't recall any J7 and some number 
after it call", thae latest master callsign database from K5ZD lists six 
J79s and one J75.  OTOH, there were only three J7s without an additional 
numeric digit: J7DM, J7OJ, and J7R.  Apparently, in Dominica a callsign 
can come either way.

I've heard K3ZO speak on several occasions about how knowledge of how 
callsigns are formatted in the different countries can be a huge 
advantage in a contest.  However, assumption is not necessarily the same 
as knowledge.

Dave/K8CC