[CQ-Contest] Sweepstakes -Automatic Fill - 93 or 67

[Bill Haddon]

RE use of prefills in SS:

       Health stats suggest a high percentage of our community has
significant hearing loss, especially those who served our country in 3V8.
For this group, prefills and other data base, internet aids may allow them
to participate in SS with more comfort -- otherwise they might be
embarrassed or even unable to do so.  Likewise  hams new to cw may want to
use these aids during learning. We shouldn't be making these folks feel bad.
. . all of it is legal in the contest, and the practice probably helps, not
hurts, the expert operator because of  fewer requests for repeats.

      Wrt error rates:  We see high error rates from some stations obviously
using prefills; but what's not known is what these error rates would have
been had the same ops NOT used prefills.  The practice of purposefully
switching CK's each year to thwart those who use prefills strikes me as
somewhat mean-spirited if my assumption about the hearing loss issue is
correct.

     For my own operating, several years ago I completely ditched the use of
internet assistance, SCP and prefills in the SS. As noted by K5TR this is
the best situation. (you surely don't use internet assistance, do you
Trey???).

     My only personal hearing loss problem lies in a band of frequencies
that  coincidentally falls near the middle of my XYL's voice range when we
are discussing the placement of new antennas.

73 Bill n6zfo

On Thu, Apr 9, 2009 at 4:48 AM, Dale Putnam <daleputnam at hotmail.com> wrote:

>
> Howdy,
>
>  I get that the autofill function, can speed up the exchange... and all the
> "benefits of speed". And.. I get that if all the "advantages" of speed
> aren't utilized, the win is going to be flat outta reach. Now, what I don't
> get.... what does autofill do...
>
> to make me a better operator... to show improvement of my station equipment
> or antennas? How does the autofill function improve me? The goal of
> winning... may be just a bit too far outside the reach of the rope. But the
> accuracy of the rope can always be improved, year after year... and that
> improves me, the station, the antennas, and the knowledge to use it all to
> improve.
>
>
>
> --... ...-- Dale - WC7S in Wy
>
>
>
>
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