[CQ-Contest] How to Confirm a QSO

[Pete Smith N4ZR]

If I send a piece of an exchange back, it means that I am not sure I got 
it right, and I'm soliciting an "R".  Of course I'm primarily a CW 
operator, but I think Rich is right, even on SSB - "thanks" is plenty, 
anything more risks confusion and needless delay.

73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the Reverse Beacon Network at
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On 9/2/2013 1:02 PM, Richard Ferch wrote:
> I'm not a phone operator, so perhaps I'm missing something, but how is 
> "twenty-five" or "two five" shorter than "thanks"?
>
> More importantly, though, I think that sending his exchange back to 
> him opens up a whole new set of possibilities for misinterpretation. 
> Suppose that when you say "twenty-five" or "two-five", he thinks he 
> hears "thirty-five" or  "twenty-nine" or "zero-five" or ...? If he 
> thinks you miscopied his exchange he is likely to come back with "no, 
> no twenty-five twenty-five". Indeed, if he thinks you said "zero-five" 
> he might even worry that you copied his call sign as KA1xxx and start 
> repeating his call sign. Alternatively, if he somehow thinks you are 
> repeating your exchange he will probably repeat his exchange, or 
> perhaps ask you for a repeat. Meanwhile, other stations are calling 
> you thinking your QSO was completed. The result is a bunch of QRM and 
> wasted time.
>
> A simple "thanks" makes it very clear to everyone that the QSO is over 
> and you can both move on. Repeating part of his exchange suggests that 
> the QSO is not yet over, possibly resulting in confusion. Similar 
> comments apply to other modes.
>
> 73,
> Rich VE3KI
>
>
> HS0ZCW wrote:
>
>> Here is how I confirm a contest QSO on SSB and the simple exchanges
>> contests...
>>
>> Me...... JA1xxx 59 26....
>>
>> Him....  59 25 ....
>>
>> Me... 25 HS0ZCW
>>
>> I repeat his zone number and my call sign instead of saying Thanks or
>> Confirmed, or I Got It or other useless info.
>>
>> Speaking a two digit number takes less time than Thank You and is a 
>> hell of
>> a lot more useful.
>>
>> In that specific contest, those odd Russian zones are the only ones not
>> automatically handed to you by automated computer logging programs, 
>> but my
>> suggestion works on some other contests, too.
>>
>> And because there are still some people who need Thailand confirmed,
>> I often say their call sign twice somewhere in the QSO in contests and
>> always in regular contacts.
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