[CQ-Contest] Incomplete SS exchange

[Bob Naumann]

EI5DI said:To which, the only sensible response is "Why?".

The sensible answer is: because it is required!

I know that the ARRL will not change the SS exchange simply because you feel
it's redundant to send the callsign. Thanks goodness for that!

Let's face it, if we were to have an evaluation of the worthiness of the
exchange of all of this data from a purely objective viewpoint, we'd never
have a contest - any contest. From an objective viewpoint, the whole thing
is pointless - isn't it?

But, this is not a business, we're not looking for ways to minimize what is
sent - we're looking to compete in the contest by following the rules.

If you don't like the rules, don't participate. Those of you who can't
participate really should spend your time on other equally unimportant
things.

W5OV

-----Original Message-----
From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Paul O'Kane
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2011 3:24 AM
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Incomplete SS exchange

On 08/11/2011 18:52, Radio K0HB wrote:

> Dear Paul (SS-Non-participant),

It seems that Hans cannot accept that anyone outside
the USA might be qualified to comment on SS.

> The Cabrillo specification is not part of the rules for this contest, and
> thus carries no weight in this argument.  Submitting a Cabrillo log is not
a
> requirement for participation.  Paper logs are welcome.

Wrong - electronic logs submitted in any format other
than the specified Cabrillo format are rejected by the
SS robot.

Paper logs may be tolerated, but they are no longer
welcome.

> The official ARRL rules require that I send my callsign as part of the
> exchange.

Once again, I respectfully suggest that the official
ARRL rules are out-of-date.

Here's precisely why. The SS exchange has its origins
in message handling, with messages being relayed from
originator to recipient via one or more stations.

In SS, the originator is invariably the station you're
working.  This may not always have been the case, but
it most definitely is now.

As such, the "originator" callsign is known in advance,
it's the station you're calling, or the station calling
you.  The originator callsign is therefore redundant.

This was recognised by the Cabrillo authors in 1999
when, working on behalf of ARRL and other major contest
sponsors, they consciously omitted provision for
logging an originator callsign in SS.  Back to the
present, and N1MM's default exchange for SS omits the
originator callsign.  Neither of these actions is/was
a mistake - people who deal with computer logs tend to
dislike redundancy.

In the ARRL Contest Update for November 9, Larry K5OT,
the ARRL SS manager, is quoted as saying "according to
Sweepstakes rule 4.3 you must include your full call
sign in the exchange".

To which, the only sensible response is "Why?". Change
the rule and no one will expect it - in the same way
that no one expects 59(9) in SS.

73,
Paul EI5DI









_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest