[CQ-Contest] Omitting callsigns in echanges

[Jack Haverty]

On Wed, 2010-11-10 at 10:38 -0600, Doug Smith wrote:
> For this specific reason, SS is unique.  The originating station's
> callsign is part of the header of a formal radiogram; the message
> could not be 
> handled properly without it.
> 
> Much of the origin of the SS exchange is gone.  We're no longer
> expected to formulate an actual message; basically, we're sending a
> series of empty 
> e-mails by radio! 

As a long-ago CW traffic net guy, I noticed this too.  SS is basically
one enormous traffic net, with everybody sending empty messages to
everybody else in a very chaotic fashion.

I think the root cause of the "omitting callsigns" controversy is simply
that the callsign today really is redundant, because the station that
originated an SS "message" is always the same as the station currently
transmitting it.  That wasn't the case in traffic nets, where messages
got relayed many times on their way from source to destination.  In
fact, such behavior is likely illegal in contests under the "can't use
repeaters" rule.

A contest where messages get sent from sources to destinations, through
however many relays it takes, might be interesting.  Points would be
awarded to stations originating, relaying, and delivering each message.

Then there wouldn't be a redundant callsign in each exchange.

73,
/Jack de K3FIV