[CQ-Contest] Slashed Zero Fonts: DO NOT DO THIS!!!!

[Richard Ferch]

With respect to the practice of using an accented character (slashed 
"oh") instead of the number zero, as some people used to do when sound 
card digital modes first came on the scene, I agree with Doug - do not 
do this. This is not an appropriate way to distinguish zero from the 
letter O, and it will cause no end of trouble if you do it.

However, this is not what is meant by a slashed zero font (as distinct 
from a slashed zero character in a regular font). A "slashed zero font" 
is an entire typeface in which the way the zero character is displayed 
on the screen or on the page (the "glyph" for the zero character) 
includes a slash. This is perfectly OK; the underlying ASCII character 
stored in the file or transmitted on the air is still a zero. Someone 
reading the file or copying transmitted text using a regular display 
font will not see the slash, they will just see a zero in whatever font 
they are using.

The issue with a true slashed zero font is not the principle, it is the 
implementation, i.e. finding a slashed zero font that actually looks 
good on your screen at the font size you need to use.

73,
Rich VE3KI


Doug KR2Q wrote:

> While a slashed zero (Ø) may look pretty, logging software does not recognize Ø 
> as a zero.
> 
> Just as O looks like a 0, if you submit your log with noke instead of n0ke 
> (apologies to N0KE
> for using his call as an example), you'll end up with a BAD call assignment.
> 
> In the very old days, lower case L was used as a 1 (when using a typewriter).  
> Nobody today
> would log klar instead of k1ar.  Equally, nobody should be logging noke instead 
> of n0ke, etc.
> 
> Forgo the appearance; use the correct letter/number when submitting your logs.