[RTTY] WAE & QTC's

[Richard Ferch]

N0AS asked:
> Are QTC's generally sent with *each* QSO?
>
> Will I be expected to send QTC's with each QSO?  And,
>
> Should I expect to receive QTC's with each QSO?

No, no and no.

Each QSO you make can only be sent in a QTC once, so you cannot send 
more QTCs than you make QSOs. As an individual you could receive more 
QTCs than you make QSOs, but combined over everyone in the contest the 
number of QTCs received cannot be larger than the number of QSOs made.

QTCs are normally sent in batches of 10, although especially towards the 
end of the contest you sometimes see smaller batches. This means that on 
average, you would only send QTCs once every 10 or more QSOs. On average 
over everyone in the contest, the same is true for received QTCs.

Note that QTCs can only be exchanged between stations in different 
continents.

So, most QSOs are no different than in, say, WPX RTTY. Every few QSOs, 
assuming you are working DX and not just stations in your own continent, 
you may be asked to send or receive a batch of QTCs, and those 
particular QSOs take quite a bit longer than usual.

The job can be facilitated by using contesting software to automate it; 
without this help, record-keeping can be a daunting task.

73,
Rich VE3KI