[CQ-Contest] Sending the other guy's call

[Tree]

W6SX writes:

> As I read your synopsis, whether the W8 was working you or not, the 
> more fundamental problem is that YOU never got an acknowledgement 
> that he received your exchange correctly.  If he "had just sent my 
> call once," you would have known he was trying to work you, but you 
> still wouldn't know if you had a completed QSO.  If it were my log, 
> he'd get a NIL.

Yup - that's what I ended up doing.  Just wasn't sure enough he was 
working me.  In a few other cases, I actually tuned up or down to the
next CQing frequency to see if the timing matched up - and if so - it
was clear that he was not working me.

On the second evening - during the time that I wasn't sure I had a 
"clear channel" - I resorted to a trick I hear the JAs use a lot during
their KCJ contest.  They end their QSOs like this:

CQ Station: JA1ABC 599
S&P Station: JA9XYZ 599
CQ Station: QSL TU E E
S&P Station: E E

I started using this and when I got a E E back from the guy, I smiled and 
knew we just had a real QSO.  If I didn't get one - then it was another 
piece of data that was used to go into the complicated decision of "do I 
put this in the log".

If the guy was say in WWa section - then I would probably log it, but if
the guy was on the east coast, then maybe not (depending on how the timing
sounded).  

I am sure that I guessed wrong in a few cases, which will result in NILs
in either my - or the other guy's log.  With improved operating technique
by all of us, we can do better.   When I ask "please send my call" - I 
almost always got silence...  not a good feeling.

A few of my contesting buddies seemed to think that the percentage of 
people sending the other call was up this weekend - so perhaps this 
discussion is convincing some people that it is a good idea.  

What is amusing to me is when I come right back to someone and have their
callsign correct and they take the time to send their callsign once or twice
again - without sending mine.  The logic of that totally escapes me.

73 Tree N6TR (aka N6TR/7)
Boring, OR