[CQ-Contest] changing callsigns post contest

[kr2q at optimum.net]

Hey guys....

Please read the rules AND the FAQ and the "new rules explained."  By the way, this "new rule" is not new for 2013 - this is from 2012.

See http://www.cqww.com/rules_2012changes.htm

Specifically:

[snip]

Rule III.13 – “After the contest period, don’t correct call signs.” 

When the contest period ends, do not use any sort of database, local or remote, to review and then modify the callsigns in your log prior to submission. 

Use of QRZ.com, DX Cluster, RBN files, other call sign databases, friends’ or club logs, etc., are considered to be other data sources and are not allowed for post-contest call correction. 

Having friends or experts who were not “the entrant” review the log also “counts” as a database (not permitted). 

A recording of your own contest effort, whether digital or analog, is considered to be a database, even if you made the recording yourself. 

Q: “After the contest I noticed a typing mistake. What should I do?” 

You have to determine whether the call sign you logged is the call sign you sent during the QSO in question (see rule XII.2 below for more information). If you are certain that this is a logging error, AND that what you logged does not match what you actually sent, then make the correction. If the committee’s SDR file shows that what you submitted on your log does not match what you sent during the contest exchange, you are in violation of the rules. 

Your decision must be based purely on your inspection of the log. You may not use any database or other resources to review your log. 

Rule XII.2 - “Log only the call sign you sent during a completed exchange.” 

The "call sign you sent" refers to the "other station's call." i.e., the station you are working. 

Over the last several years, SDR recordings of the contest have been utilized to carefully listen to highly competitive entrants. In some cases, when comparing the call signs that Running stations (those who ‘own’ a pileup) sent during the contest to what they actually submitted in their logs, we found the two would not always match. In these cases, the call signs sent by the Running stations during the QSO were broken or busted call signs (they did not match the actual calls of the stations they were working). Clearly, one way this can happen is when there is post-contest call sign correction. 

This rule was crafted because some entrants may claim that these corrections were based on “notes” made during the contest and therefore are “part of the log.” The contest committee has no way to verify if these were made from “notes” during the contest or by use of databases (including a recording of your own contest effort) after the contest. This rule makes it clear that we expect the call sign in the log to match what was sent OVER THE AIR during the QSO. 

Q: "What should an entrant do if he/she sends a “busted or broken” call sign during the contest?" 

Instead of making (only) a manual note, send the corrected call sign (or the corrected part of the incorrect call sign) during the contest exchange. 

For example, if the running station (entrant) pulls out DX1A from the pile up and sends the QSO exchange, when the answering station replies with DX1AAT, the running station should send, as part of the current QSO, either: 

•The complete call: DX1AAT, or 
•The corrected part: AAT 
Equally, if the running station (entrant) sends DR2AA and makes the QSO exchange, when the answering station replies with DR2Q, the running station should send either: 

•The complete call: DR2Q, or 
•The corrected part: 2Q, or 
•Just the corrected letter: Q 
When the contest committee reviews the SDR recording, there must be an indication that the runner (entrant) acknowledged and corrected the error at the time of the QSO. 

The entrant should never log both the wrong call and the corrected call. The intent of the rule is to log only the correct call sign for each completed QSO. 

Q: “What you describe works for the station that is running because it must send the call sign of the station it wishes to contact. What about for QSOs made while tuning the band (search & pounce)?" 

Most entrants answering a solicitation from a Runner (calling CQ, QRZ, TEST, etc.) do not send the call sign of the station they are trying to work. They simply send their own call and then wait to see if the Runner answers them. This is OK. We are expecting the Runner to send the call or a correction of the call so we can verify a match with what is logged. 
Historically, highly competitive entrants spend most of their contesting time running. Therefore, this rule is intended primarily, but not exclusively, for those entrants who are highly competitive in their category of entry. 

Q: “During the contest, I made a number of notes about some of my QSOs that needed to be corrected. Since the notes were made during the contest, can I incorporate those changes into my log after the contest ends?” 

During the contest, most of us have, at some point, done something “wrong” within the logging window. One example might be forgetting to hit the <enter> key and then adding another call sign which results in some very long, bad call. Or maybe we added part of the number exchange to the call sign. The entrant feels so rushed, he/she just wants to “move to the next QSO,” so a “note” is created about what really happened. 

The answer is that it depends on the actual circumstances. The new rules require that whatever you sent during the completed exchange be accurately represented in your submitted log. 

So if you SENT the correct information during the real-time completed QSO exchange, then yes, you can modify your log as per “notes.” 

The contest committee will judge what you SENT based its SDR recordings of the contest. 
Q: “May I submit my own SDR file or audio file to show that what I logged matches what I sent?” 

No. Only the contest committee’s own SDR files will be used for adjudication. 

[end snip]

de Doug KR2Q