[Skimmertalk] Number in suffix

[N4ZR]

Hi Bob - The biggest reason not to respond to every new callsign format 
by changing the pattern file is that adding each new pattern slightly 
reduces the effectiveness of the pattern file in cutting down on busted 
spots.  A special call may be on the air for 2 weeks, but the pattern 
file is forever. This is the reason why we have never accommodated 
short-lived special calls, of which there seem to have been hundreds 
each year.

We try hard, given sufficient warning, to accommodate new calls that 
recurrently crop up in WPX year after year, but we recognize that each 
new pattern and each pattern promoted to "+" status slightly reduces the 
effectiveness of the pattern check on *all* spots, so we try not to do 
too many.

We don't *require* that RBN node-ops download each new pattern file, but 
we do nag them each time they connect to the RBN server. I don't have 
any data on how effective this nagging is.

I just tested spotting 8N3G20 on a DXSpider and a VE7CC cluster.  
DXSpider let it through, while VE7CC did not.  I just finished updating 
N1MM+'s cluster list, and in the process discovered that a majority of 
clusters worldwide are using DXSpider, That suggests to me that the 
impact of *not* adding this pattern on spotting of the station will be 
relatively small.

73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the Reverse Beacon Network
at<http://reversebeacon.net>, now
spotting RTTY activity worldwide.
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.

On 5/12/2019 11:06 PM, Bob Wilson, N6TV wrote:
> Just because AR Cluster software apparently rejects spots with unusual
> callsigns, one should not feel compelled to completely ban these special
> callsigns from being spotted by *all* skimmer clusters.  I assume VE7CC
> Cluster and DXSpider have no such restrictions.  Why not try it?
>
> I recommend the patt3ch.lst file be updated on the RBN server to add the
> indicated patterns.  This should be a trivial task, and eventually most RBN
> ops will download the update, or at least see the notification about it.
> This is better than asking every op. to do the update themselves, because
> that inevitably leads to synchronization problems.
>
> At the same time, please add:
>
> 8N3@#@
>
> to the file to help 8N3G2O get spotted.
>
> Now, if one wants to contend that special event callsigjns are short-lived
> and therefore shouldn't have semi-permanent status in the patt3ch.lst file,
> I can see that point, but it's already hard enough for these special event
> callsigns to get pileups, so it seems like the least we can do to help them
> is have our RBN skimmers spot them as much as possible, especially when
> they have specifically asked us for our help.  We have no way of compelling
> regulators to do what we prefer.
>
> 73,
> Bob, N6TV
>
> On Sun, May 12, 2019 at 7:52 PM N4ZR<n4zr at comcast.net>  wrote:
>
>> Doesn't surprise me. The pattern file does not have any entries with the
>> pattern #@#@## (where # is a numeric wild-card and @ is an alphabetic).
>> Even if Skimmer Server were told that these patterns were OK, it appears
>> that many cluster servers that are out there now will reject these spots
>> as busted. I'm afraid this isn't as simple as changing a pattern file,
>> because national administrations are issuing strange new calls almost
>> weekly, and their creativity knows no bounds hi.
>>
>> 73, Pete N4ZR
>> Check out the Reverse Beacon Network
>> at<http://reversebeacon.net>, now
>> spotting RTTY activity worldwide.
>> For spots, please use your favorite
>> "retail" DX cluster.
>>
>> On 5/12/2019 9:04 PM, Dai NAGAKURA wrote:
>>> Dear Gerard
>>>
>>> Our Japan's special callsign of G20 Conference in Japan "8N3G2O"
>>> is recognized as "3G2O",Chile now.
>>>
>>> See below(RBN page)
>>> http://www.reversebeacon.net/dxsd1/dxsd1.php?f=0&c=3g2o%2F3&t=dx
>>>
>>> Dai JF2IWL
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