[CQ-Contest] Leading Zeros etc.- I hate'm !

[john at kk9a.com]

I spent a lot of time on 40m last weekend trying to copy callsigns and
serial numbers through QRN, QRM and not great conditions. Leading zeros
can be confusing, so can just hearing a single digit number late in the
contest but I think I would still prefer to omit them. For copying larger
numbers I found that it sometimes helps if you can say it different ways,
like two six , twenty-six. Many worldwide contesters know English numbers
well and do this. It is similar to using a different phonetic for a letter
in a callsign that someone is having difficulty copying, which is also a
good practice.

John KK9A


To:	CQ-Contest Reflector <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Subject:	Re: [CQ-Contest] Leading Zeros etc.- I hate'm !
From:	Art Boyars <artboyars at gmail.com>
Date:	Wed, 30 Mar 2016 22:09:49 -0400

Mike --

I am a small signal and frequently a late starter -- giving out NR 1 when
active op's' are giving NR in hundreds and thousands.  Especially on phone,
I often get asked "Number zero two six??"  So sometimes -- depending on how
well I think the other guy is copying me -- I will put in the leading zero,
or do something else to emphasize that, yes, I really did say "twoooo
siiiix".

(But when copy is good, you are right -- it's a waste of a couple of
seconds AND it throws off your rhythm.)

73, Art K3KU
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