[SCCC] Two-letter ARRL Section Abbreviations?

[Dennis Younker NE6I]

How about if we fix the numbering system at the FCC?  I say this only half 
facetious.  After all, a new licensee doesn't get a choice of numbers in 
his/her call sign.  Therefore, the numbers still mean something 
geographically to the FCC.  They are simply confused and are trying to sit 
on the fence.  They need to be on one side or the other, not both.

While we wait,

Los Angeles should be LA, Louisiana can be LO or LOA
San Diego SD, South Dakota SO or SDK
Orange OR, Oregon OG or ORG or ORN

Majority rules, therefore the larger metropolitan areas get the two letter 
designations if we must have two AND three letters for mults.  If we can 
convert to two only, the larger areas get the more sensible letter 
combinations.

The "downside" sited by Dick was already foisted on us once when LA became 
LAX and SD became SDG. As contesters, we can deal with one more time to 
right the wrong.

One other possibility...Los Angeles and Louisiana share LA. San Diego and 
South Dakota share SD, etc. The ARRL has to keep an accurate database to 
sort it out as we submit logs.  The onus is shifted to them until they 
successfully lobby the FCC to correct the numbering scheme.

And I second the notion that CT becomes CONNECTICUT in the interim.  Anyone 
signing W1AW in contests must send ARRLHQ/CONNECTICUT.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Leigh S. Jones" <kr6x at kr6x.com>
To: "SCCC" <SCCC at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2005 9:42 PM
Subject: Re: [SCCC] Two-letter ARRL Section Abbreviations?


> I'd like to voice my agreement with Dick in this issue.  My feelings
> are very
> strong in this matter.  This was one of the issues that led me to stop
> contesting
> for the 1980's decade, and has left me a strong critic of the ARRL for
> a
> quarter of a century.
>
> Humorously, I'd like to suggest the following: the Connecticut section
> should
> be required for the next quarter of a century to send the full name
> (no
> abbreviations, please) of it's section as a penalty for the disservice
> that it has
> done to the amateur radio service in this matter.  This shoud apply to
> the
> state for the ARRL DX Contest as well.  Maybe then ARRL HQ will begin
> to understand.
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Richard J. Norton" <ae327 at lafn.org>
> To: "SCCC" <SCCC at contesting.com>
> Sent: Saturday, January 08, 2005 10:41 AM
> Subject: [SCCC] Two-letter ARRL Section Abbreviations?
>
>
>> The Poles do. The Japanese do it. Why can't we do it?
>>
>> Back in the old days, the number in our American callsigns denoted
> our
>> geographic area. If you had a 6 in your continental USA callsign,
> you were in
>> California.
>>
>> In ARRL contests, like the Sweepstakes, those of us in the Los
> Angeles section
>> used LA for our section abbreviation. San Diego was SD.
>>
>> When the FCC eliminated the necessary connection between location
> and callsign
>> number, the ARRL changed the CW abbreviation for Los Angeles to LAX,
> and that
>> of San Diego to SDG, to avoid confusion with Louisiana and South
> Dakota.
>>
>> The 2.5 times as many ARRL members in the Los Angeles (compared to
> the number
>> in Louisiana) section got saddled with sending an extra X. There are
> 4.2 times
>> as many ARRL members in San Diego as there are in South Dakota, and
> those
>> members got saddled with sending an extra G in each exchange.
>>
>> On CW, if one makes 1200 QSOs, the 1200 additional Xs sent by a Los
> Angeles
>> competitor (when compared to one in Louisiana) will eat up 20
> minutes of
>> operating time!
>>
>> The Poles and Japanese have crafted two-letter abbreviations for the
>> multipliers in their CW contests. Why shouldn't we?
>>
>> Questions:
>>
>> 1) Is it desirable to change the 3-letter abbreviations to 2-letter
>> abbreviations?
>> I agree there will be a slight transition time where we have to
> learn something
>> new.
>>
>> 2) If yes, what should the abbreviations for the Southwestern
> Division sections
>> be?
>>
>> Los Angeles - LO LS LX AN?
>> Orange -  OG NG?
>> San Diego - SG DG GO?
>> Santa Barbara - already SB
>> Arizona - already AZ
>>
>> Although I have a pretty close relationship with the present ARRL
> Southwestern
>> Division Director, and there is an ARRL Board meeting in two weeks,
> I don't
>> believe this will be brought up at the meeting. I am not sure this
> is something
>> requiring Board action. It may get mentioned informally for
> consideration in
>> the future.
>>
>> What are your views?
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Dick Norton, N6AA
>> SCCC President
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> SCCC mailing list
>> SCCC at contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/sccc
>
> _______________________________________________
> SCCC mailing list
> SCCC at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/sccc