[CQ-Contest] A Contester's Dilemma, or when is it necessary to take the fall for someone else?

[Dennis McAlpine]

Since moving to SC I have noticed that it is generally considered a pretty rare multiplier where states or sections are used as mults, e.g. SS, ARRL DX, etc.  That then raises the dilemma of when to sacrifice accuracy for the benefit of the other guy.

Several times during the recent CW SS, I was called by some weak signals that were in and out of the mud.  Try as I could, I was unable to copy their full exchange.  In several cases, they were sending a QRP precedence.  I think they copied my exchange ok since there was no request for repeats  (I think).  

Here's the dilemma (bet you never thought it was coming).  I know I should not count the contact since I am pretty sure I did not copy his exchange correctly.  But, if I delete the contact, that poor weak station might miss SC as a mult since I was one of relatively few SC stations on.  Particularly if he didn't go searching for another SC since he thought I would be his mult.  So, should I leave the QSO in the log knowing that it will probably be deleted from my score and I will lose mega points due to the penalty  (assuming that the log checkers actually find my error) but the poor little weak guy will get his SC mult?  

I wonder if Jay goes through this self questioning when he is operating from NT (or is it NWT?)?

For those who have persevered through this diatribe and need to know my answer, I opted to include several QSOs that probably had bad info in them, just so the other guy got credit for a rare mult.  So, Mr. Log Checker, see if you can find the hat.  Ah, yes, rarity has its downfalls too.

See ya in Phone SS (just a little) so you can have that rare SC mult.

73,

Dennis, K2SX/4
Pawleys Island, SC (a.k.a. "a rare mult")