[CQ-Contest] In-state stations in QSO Parties...

Thu Apr 29 11:50:56 PDT 2010

Al and others...

I see three inter-related issues in the discussion regarding how to sign as 
a mobile. A procedure that is good for one area can have negative impact on 
another area(s).

1) How to designate what county you are currently operating from
2) How a persons logging program deals with identifying mobile dupes
3) How the eQSL and LoTW systems deal with the variety of logging methods 
operators use

As has been stated, there is no universal published standard that addresses 
all three areas. Different people sign different ways for different reasons. 
I don't know if there is a universal "solution" that could be defined and 
implemented at this point in time. But here's my thoughts...

You said you sign KØAD/DAK to designate you are mobile in Dakota county. 
That satisfies #1 & #2, but it creates extra work for #3. If you activate 20 
counties, you need 20 LoTW certificates from ARRL because each /CTY creates 
a unique callsign in their system. Also, you have to separate your log into 
the 20 segments and upload each one using the appropriate /CTY designator. 
Although this is "doable", I doubt many mobile stations take the time to do 
this.

Likewise, whether to sign KØAD/M or not adds another variable. Jim Reisert 
AD1C created a utility that takes QSO Party files and processes them into a 
standard ADIF format. It strips all /DESIGNATORS back to a /M and populates 
the Secondary Administrative District with the official county designator 
defined in the ADIF specification. This is a BIG step forward because it 
reduces the need for 20 certificates down to 2, KØAD and KØAD/M. 
http://software.ad1c.us/ It doesn't eliminate the task of splitting your log 
into 20 parts, creating 20 locations in tQSL, and uploading 20 files though. 
But it does ensure you get proper credit in your daily logging program for 
all the counties you worked.

Someone posted the "solution" to one-half of the #3 problem (it might have 
been on the LoTW reflector). He said LoTW should be reprogrammed to discard 
any /DESIGNATORS and only use the root callsign and the tQSL assigned 
location. In other words, in reality KØAD and KØAD/DAK are the same station. 
And /DAK is redundant information because the location is already identified 
in the tQSL profile you create. So KØAD/DAK is really not necessary for #3, 
but if that's what is sent, that is what is usually logged.

My suggestion to use KØAD DAK (without the slash) would help #1 and #3. That 
is, you send your root callsign so that is what gets logged and uploaded to 
the LoTW system. It eliminates the need for 20 certificates. You are also 
sending your current location, but as a separate information element, not 
part of your callsign. But contest logging issues (dupe checking) will force 
some operators to solve the problem by inserting the slash anyway!

I believe appending the /DESIGNATOR for QSO Parties was a natural extension 
of the old FCC requirement to identify your operating location, i.e., 
KØAD/6. That rule was removed many years ago (stateside). But old habits are 
tough to change, especially when you are trying to change thousands of them!

BTW, sending KØAD DAK is faster than KØAD/DAK. :-)

73 de Bob - KØRC in MN

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <aldewey at aol.com>
To: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2010 5:50 AM
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] In-state stations in QSO Parties...

>
>
> I might be missing something here but I certainly don't see anything wrong 
> with rovers simply signing something like K0AD/DAK when they are roving. 
> I have been doing that for years in MNQP.  The logging software I use 
> (Writelog) recognizes it as a unique station and does not list it as a 
> dupe.
>
> When I hear a station calling CQ W4XYZ/CTY it is clear to me that they are 
> in the state having the QSO party and what county they are in.
>
> When MNQP first started, we had two character county designaters.  We did 
> get some comments that signing something like K0AD/DL could give the 
> impression you are DX.  But with 3 character designators, I think that 
> problem goes away.
>
> 73,
>
> AL, K0AD
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Robert Chudek - K0RC <k0rc at citlink.net>
> To: Jimk8mr at aol.com; mike at n0hi.net; cq-contest at contesting.com
> Sent: Tue, Apr 27, 2010 10:45 pm
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] In-state stations in QSO Parties...
>
>
> Jim,
> "Better to sign W3WW/4 or W3WW/FL."
> This doesn't make any sense to me.
> W3WW/4 could be in any of the eight 4-land states. It doesn't tell me he's
> in Florida.
> W3WW/FL tells me he's a DX station in a French Department somewhere or 
> maybe
> he's in Florida can't tell for sure.
> W3WW/?? Slash anything, causes callsign synchronization issues when
> uploading to eQSL or LoTW.
> W3WW BRE tells me he is a station in Brevard county and YES I want to know
> that he hasn't moved to another county. As soon as I type his callsign, my
> contest software shows me all the contacts I have made with that station, 
> no
> matter which band, mode, or county.
> 73 de Bob - KØRC in MN
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: <Jimk8mr at aol.com>
> To: <mike at n0hi.net>; <cq-contest at contesting.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, April 27, 2010 8:34 PM
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] In-state stations in QSO Parties...
>
> I would suggest that in state stations should not sign  /CTY if they  are
> not mobile or otherwise changing counties. Every time I hear that from a
> station that I do not think is a mobile, I have to check to see if that
> /CTY is the same as when I worked him before.
>
> Better to sign W3WW/4 or W3WW/FL.
>
> 73  -  Jim  K8MR
>
>
>
> In a message dated 4/27/2010 7:36:56 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
> mike at n0hi.net writes:
>
> FL QP is  different in that an out of state station can actually run FL
> stations to  rate.  I was doing this on Sunday when NQ4I called me, gave
> me
> 5nn GA,  I gave him 5nn MA, and we both probably realized around the same
> time,  "oops...this one don't count!"  Then Rick called me on phone a  few
> minutes later just to make sure.
>
> The "CQ FQP" or "CQ FL" is a  fine line...I thought stations signing with
> their county in the CQ made  things easier.  The stations signing /county
> added some confusion the  first few times; maybe just "CQ FQP NA4XYZ BRE"
> makes more sense.
>
> In  any case, it was fun.
>
> -- 
> Mike DeChristopher,  N0HI
> http://www.n0hi.net