[RTTY] Cut numbers in RTTY -- why?

[Waldemar DK3VN]

W0YR at aol.com wrote:
> 
> Jerry,
> 
> You describe things correctly!   It is difficult to understand why some
> people are so reticent to send something repeately when they are asked to do so.
> Perhaps it's some kind of modesty or a fear of wanting to seem overzealous.
> Also, stations are so often reticent to GO BACK and MAKE SURE they have
> copied things correctly.  Neither operator should forget that errors will be
> penalized.  On several occasions, stations about which I had real questions as to
> call or report never made it into my log.  In this way I had a cleaner log
> without errors.  The other guy lost out because he won't show up in my log and will
> be penalized for it.  Blazing ahead to protect "rate" at the expense of
> accuracy is a dumb way to conduct onesself in a contest.
> 
> Through trial and error I have hit a few methods that really do help "get the
> number through." One of them seems crazy, but isn't:
> 
> 1.  Do NOT use dashes at all in the exchange.   599-023-023 is just asking
> for trouble because it does not allow the "system" to UNSHIFT.
> 
> 2.  Instead of using dashes...use  TWO  spaces between the report elements,
> like:
>          599    023    023
>     I could go into a long explanation about unshifting on space, etc., but
> believe me, this helps much of the time.
> 
> 3.  For really rough cases I actually have a macro that purposely sends the
> serial number both SHIFTED and UNSHIFTED.  When it gets tough, I would send:
> 
>         W6IHG   599   023   023   023   PQW     PQW    PQW
> 
>     That way the other op can (with most software), click on the PQW if he
> recognizes it, and it will be converted to  023
> 
> I was very pleasantly surprised by the few stations I heard overdriving the
> first audio stages of their rigs with their sound cards.  That fad seems to be
> pretty well under control.
> 
> 73
> 
> Mike
> W0YR

Mike you are so right!

When the S/N is high, the QRM low and more or less no QSB
(no QRM = you are on the wrong band :-), then I send:

<space>W0YR 599-123-123 W0YR<cr>

In all other cases I send no dashes, using spaces between the
numbers and send the number three (3) times. Also I have prepared
an extra buffer. If the S/N is low and/or the QRM strong and/or
we have strong QSB and I am asked for a repeat:

<cr><space>123   123   123   123   123<cr>

That works fine for me in 99.9% of all cases!

The "best" response I have ever received, was:

 WHAT MEANS QWE QWE I NEED YOUR NUMBER .....

Hmmm .. ~:)  ~:) ~:)

I have made one positive observation. More and more running
stations are responding to me with:

 DK3VN <exchange> DK3VN

Often I can't read my "call" on the left. I am receiving:

 DK+VN  (... OK, but what is inbetween? :)
 K3VN   (... I am not Al, K3VN :)
 VK3VN  (... VK at this time of the day on this band??? :)
 <grimbleprizz>VN  (... ????)

So much from me, a little contesting guy with a tiny setup, made
732 Q's and and a score of >760.000 last weekend. ~:)

73 de Waldemar, DK3VN
-- 
The Makrothen Contest: 06-Mar-2004! Check the rules on the RWRL Site! 
Check RWRL  on http://home.arcor.de/waldemar.kebsch
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German DX Foundation #207  http://www.gdxf.de
Big antennas, high in the sky, are better than small ones, low!