[CQ-Contest] Cabrillo Records beginning with X

[David Pruett]

Paul,

Speaking as the log-checker of the ARRL 10M contest, and the ARRL 160M 
contest (which is checked using the same software), you are not 
completely correct.

An "X" at the beginning of a Cabrillo line doesn't mean that line is 
necessarily "ignored by the robot and any checking software".  My 
understanding is that a line beginning with an "X" is simply not part of 
the official Cabrillo specification. It may be disregarded by the robot 
or checking software, or it may not.  Most of the lines that I've seen 
in files for the ARRL 10M & 160M Contests beginning with "X" are 
specialized items added by the robot for special uses by ARRL HQ (at 
least for ARRL contests; I can't speak for the others).

But there is one "X" keyword which I think is important. A normal 
Cabrillo QSO line starts with "QSO:";recently, people wanted to be able 
to mark a QSO as "unclaimed", in cases where they are unsure of their 
log entry and did not want to risk penalties for a NIL or busted QSO.  
For an unclaimed QSO, the Cabrillo line starts with "X-QSO:", which I 
think means "don't check this QSO", not "this QSO may be gibberish, so 
ignore it".  So while we won't score an X-QSO for or against an 
entrant's score, if possible we will try to use the information to 
verify the QSO for the station they claimed to have worked, but with no 
losses or penalties imposed if the X-QSO data is bad.

Again, I'm only speaking for the ARRL 10M & 160M contests in that we 
support X-QSO.  I can't speak for the other ARRL contests.

Your comments sound to me like you're trying to justify the presence of 
erroneous or poorly-formatted data in any line beginning with an "X".  
As a software author, I'm puzzled why you would take this position?  If 
it's some unique X-line you invented for the purposes of your software, 
it's probably not a problem.  But please format any "X-QSO" lines just 
like a "QSO" line for that particular contest.  Any excuse not to is 
lazy programming...

73, Dave/K8CC
ARRL 10M Contest Logchecking Team

On 2/28/2014 8:07 AM, Paul O'Kane wrote:
>
> My understanding, as a software author, is that any
> Cabrillo line beginning with X, regardless of its
> location in the log, will be ignored by the robot
> and any checking software.  It has been this way
> for many years.
>
> If a line begins with X, there should be no need
> for further syntax checking.  If there happens to
> be a need, then I ask "why?"
>
> 73,
> Paul EI5DI
>
>
>
>
>
> On 28/02/2014 12:05, Randy Thompson K5ZD wrote:
>> The correct syntax for CQWW and CQWPX is "X-QSO".  I am not aware of any
>> other contests that support this concept of marking QSOs that are not 
>> to be
>> claimed for scoring.
>>
>> Randy, K5ZD
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On 
>>> Behalf Of
>>> Robert Chudek - K0RC
>>> Sent: Tuesday, February 25, 2014 7:12 AM
>>> To: cq-contest at contesting.com
>>> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] (no subject)
>>>
>>> "Next time, I'm going with XQSO."
>>>
>>> I would be careful with that. Not all contest sponsors support XQSO: in
>>> their Cabrillo file. I believe CQ allows it, but I'd verify this before
>>> using it in any Cabrillo file.
>>>
>>> 73 de Bob - KØRC in MN
>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
>>>
>>>
>>> On 2/24/2014 11:32 AM, Tim Shoppa wrote:
>>>>> A station came back to me, but I could not copy his state among the
>>>>> static crashes, so I asked for a repeat. The op comes back:
>>>> "Okay,
>>>>> thanks, Eric, for Maine." Well, two problems here: (1) I had not
>>>>> given him his report yet (and never did), and (2) I never use my
>>>>> given name on or
>>>> off
>>>>> the air - I go by "Rick." The logical conclusion here is that he had
>>>>> his logger set to look up on the Internet stations he was working,
>>>>> and he got
>>>> my
>>>>> given name AND my exchange info from a call sign database.
>>>>> I don't expect to log more than a few dozen Qs in this event, but his
>>>>> will not be among the ones I submit, even though it was a needed 
>>>>> mult.
>>>> Most likely he had pre-fills preloaded.
>>>>
>>>> Isn't this what "XQSO:" in Cabrillo was set up for? "I might be in the
>>>> other guys log but I don't feel it was a qualifying QSO and don't want
>>>> credit and contest organizers might want to look carefully for
>>>> patterns of this".
>>>>
>>>> Not to be confused with "I walked this non-contester into a contest
>>>> exchange" which is completely legit.
>>>>
>>>> I remember one prominent island station in IOTA contest who was not
>>>> sending his IOTA number. I asked several times and he wasn't giving it
>>>> to anyone. I send in my IOTA log with his IOTA left blank, send a note
>>>> to the contest manager, and even then I get dinged. It was a mistake
>>>> for me to put in as a QSO. Next time, I'm going with XQSO.
>>>>
>>>> Tim N3QE
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>>>>
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