[RTTY] Anarts exchanges

[Phil Cooper]

Claude VE2FK wrote:

"I was not sure anymore if I was
correct to call a station with only (de VE2FK VE2FK)
I was not sure if I should as many  use (UR) and (BK)
I was not sure if I should only send my UTC as 2345
I was not sure if I should forget the rules and send
my CQ Zone before the TIME...
I was not sure if I should CFM with the received exch.
I was not sure if I should repeat the received station
call and say TU plus TNX and 73 at the end...
I was wondering why I have {ENTER} to begin a macro
and only a SPACE at the end..."

I almost always use DE GU0SUP GU0SUP GU0SUP only, as the other guy usually
knows his own callsign!
Sending the call twice can result in corruption, and if only sent twice, can
cause confusion.
In ANARTS, I had DE K4FX K0FX. This caused me a lot of confusion, as I
didn't recognise K4FX, but I do know K0FX! It turned out to be K4FX.

UR and BK can be used. It is up to you, but is - I guess - a waste of time.
You know the other guy has finished when the carrier drops, so BK isn't
really needed. I use VE2FK TU (CLAUDE) 599 14 1234 1234 GU0SUP
The TU is my "thankyou" to you.

The TIME UTC and CQ ZONE are also software dependent. Writelog inputs the
ZONE for you, and you can change it if necessary, and most of us know what
to expect. The one real variable is the time.
I sent 14 1234 1234, but saw many variants, such as:
UR RST 5NN
THE TIME IS 12:34:54UTC
MY CQ ZONE IS CQ14
Which was a bit over the top!
Writelog is OK with most time formats, but didn't like the UTC immediately
after the seconds. When I clicked on it, it put the first two digits into
the ZONE field. If there was a space, it was OK.
Having said all that, 2345 is fine!
Sending order isn't so important, as we know what is what, and again, it can
be software dependent, as per the email from Tom regarding N1MM. Writelog
has the fields in the order requested.

How you respond is up to you, and how you want to play it. Some folk want to
win, and set out to win, or at least to try. I am only there to have fun,
maybe give out a mult, or maybe a new DXCC.
I realise I won't win, and therefore, my replies may be a bit more verbose.
However, it is nice to see a greeting, a TU and/or a 73 at the end.

The ENTER and SPACE bit is to do with how it looks on screen.
If you don't have the enter at the beginning, your callsign can easily get
lost in the jumble of letters on screen, and will likely be on the same
line.
Putting an ENTER at the start makes the Rx side put your callsign on a new
line.
I usually have an ENTER at the end too, but it is down to personal
preference as to whether you have a SPACE or ENTER.
If you don't have either, then what can happen is that I see VE2F and the
carrier drops before it can decode the last letter. Now, if I have missed
the first part of your DE VE2FK VE2FK, then I may log you with the wrong
call.

One thing that wasn't mentioned is how to end CQ calls. In most contests,
you often see DE VE2FK VE2FK PSE K and you then have to wait and see if
VE2FK is calling someone else.
I would much prefer to see CQ or TEST at the end of each CQ, or the end of
the TU QRZ?
There was a lot of HISCALL TU QRZ? type calls in this contest, and you then
have to wait and see what the call is. On a few occasions, I had to wait
several overs to see who it really was.
I saw this at least twice:
CQ'er: TU QRZ?
Caller: DE GU0SUP GU0SUP
CQ'er: GU0SUP 599 14 1234
Caller: TU 599 14 1234
CQ'er: TU QRZ?
Eh??? In the end, I sent WRU? and finally got the call.

Send whatever you are comfortable with. Please be prepared to change your
macro to suit conditions too.
If you keep getting asked for repeats of one part of the exchange, then why
not add one more instance of that part of the exchange?
I also have a macro that sends just the required bit once. If it is QSB,
then I will hit that key as many times as needed to get it across.
Often, folk will want JUST that part. Do not send the whole exchange again,
as it isn't needed, and can lead to yet another repeat if QSB hits the same
bit.
Most times in ANARTS, the zone wasn't in doubt, it was the time.

But, whatever you do, HAVE FUN!
And here endeth the lesson!

73 all
Phil GU0SUP