[CQ-Contest] "Please Copy" - an opinion

[Mike Smith VE9AA]

Richard, 

 

Truer words were never spoke.  I may grumble or chuckle silently to myself,
or joke to local friends over an 807 about some stn I worked who said
"please copy", but I don't think I would ever chastise them in front of
everyone (on the air for example)

 

We were all new once..or even if we weren't "new" maybe we never contested
before.

 

Recently , I am reading posts from an 80-81 year old ham on an internet
contesting forum who's been licensed some 60+ years but he never contested
before.  It's exciting !

 

So.whether you're 8 or 80, I welcome the Q and we can talk about technique
and etiquette later.   I won't delete you from my log out of spite like some
folks. (SMH)

 

Let's set a good example for the folks just starting out.

 

Wear your mask; wash your hands; be kind and to steal a line from W6SX
"contest exuberantly".

 

CU (all of a sudden) in the next one...<this weekend!>

 

Mike VE9AA

Regarding extra words being spoken during SSB contest QSOs, especially
"please 

copy", I would like to share an opinion.

There have been times, in my earlier years of contest operating, that I
would 

let myself become so frustrated at operating practices that I would lecture
or 

be a bit rude to the operator who called. After reconsidering my attitudes
over 

a number of years, I came to the conclusions below:

1) Increasing participation in contests should be foremost in my mind.
Anything 

I do to help increase participation is a plus. Anything I do to turn hams
away 

from contesting is a minus.

2) Nobody is required to call me in a contest. Each caller makes the
decision 

to call me. I want the experience to be a positive one, so that he/she is
happy 

that they called and they hopefully will want to call me again. If they go
away 

with a negative attitude towards me (or contesting in general), that's on
me. 

It was in my power to make it a good experience, and I failed.

3) If I turn someone off to contesting, I not only lose that QSO, but may
have 

lost Q's on multiple bands, and even more importantly, in multiple contests.
It 

doesn't just hurt me. It hurts the sport of contesting, which affects us
all.

I would suggest that if some of us feel the need to educate hams about the
best 

operating practices, it should be done off the air, in articles, at
hamfests, 

or other venues, rather than correcting an operator on the air. I haven't 

always been able to do this, but I try.

73, Rich, N6KT

 

Mike, Coreen & Corey

Keswick Ridge, NB