[RTTY] Dashes in Contest Reports

[Bill, W6WRT]

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

On Mon, 25 Jan 2010 10:38:20 -0800, Kok Chen <chen at mac.com> wrote:

> and that is the cross compatibility  
>between USOS and non-USOS systems.

REPLY:

It should be pointed out that non-USOS systems are an endangered
species. Nearly all modern RTTY software has USOS enabled by default,
including MMTTY. To have a non-USOS system, you have to manually turn
it off. 

USOS was invented for a good reason - it increases the probability of
correct throughput by employing redundant FIGS and LTRS shifts which
can help in the presence of QRM and/or QRN. 

One last time - using the dash between elements of your exchange has
the benefit of speeding up sending the exchange by a fraction of a
second. It has NO benefits at the receiving end and it has one serious
disadvantage: It defeats USOS and reduces the probability of accurate
print on the other guy's screen. .

So, make your choice:  Speed or accuracy. In this context of this
discussion, you can't have both.

73, Bill W6WRT