[CQ-Contest] Incomplete SS exchange

[ve4xt at mymts.net]

On 11/7/11 11:58 AM, "Georgek5kg at aol.com" <Georgek5kg at aol.com> wrote:

> I am throwing this out there for comment.
>  
> In SS, I worked a number of ops who did not send their callsign  as part of
> the exchange.  I found this to be very frustrating  for several reasons,
> namely (1) sending the callsign as part of the  "required exchange" is
> specified in the SS rules, (2) it breaks  the rhythm when copying the
> exchange, and 
> finally (3) it gives the op an  advantage by not taking time to send his
> callsign.
>  
> Question: Should there be a penalty for not sending the callsign as part of
>  the required exchange?
>  

Hi George,
This question opened quite the hornet's nest the last time it was posed...

Some people believe that if the rules say one thing but the example says
another, the example reigns supreme (your point). Others say the rules reign
supreme and the example is just an example.

The rules say what must be exchanged. (Serial no., precedence, callsign,
check, section). Minus the example, you could be forgiven for believing that
as long as you get my callsign, serial no., precedence, check and section
and I get your serial no., precedence, check, section and callsign, all is
good.

Sprint is a good example of examples: the rules include an example that
moves the position of the callsign in the exchange depending on whether
you're the CQ or S&P station (so that if you're inheriting the frequency,
your call is the last thing sent in the QSO). Yet I've worked a few guys in
the Sprint (NS included) who, probably because their software didn't
accommodate the CQ vs. S&P differences, sent the exchange in the same
sequence whether they were CQ or S&P. Was that a violation?

With SS, it's only when you get to the example do the rules appear to demand
sending the entire exchange (ser. No., prec., call, check, sec.).

It will be interesting to sit back and watch the discussion unfold: some
will say that it's only an incomplete exchange if you didn't get the
callsign (in which case, it's not a QSO at all). Others will say that if you
got it all, even if not in the order you expected, you got nothing to
complain about.

When I play (sorry to anybody who missed MB, worked and had kids' hockey all
weekend), I always send like the example suggests, but only because that's
how TR is set up. I don't have a strong feeling one way or the other.
However, when I am rusty, having the call between prec and check is a good
way to make sure I got it right...

73, kelly
ve4xt