Topband: RE66 in the SP test

[Edward Swynar]

On 29th December, Greg wrote:

"... I guess I must have sent my grid RE66 about a thousand times. I have
been wondering why it seemed so difficult to get across, and I have found
the same in previous years..."

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Hi Greg,

Gee, but I sure do wish our paths had crossed during the S.P. Challenge...!
"C'est la vie", I guess...

As to your dilema there with grid locator repeats, I'll wager my lunch money
that when you responded to stations you were engaged in QSO with, you did
not preface your transmission with "BK", or "QSL"---correct...?

I can see why the recepients of your transmission might be initially thrown
for a bit of a loop if all you did was immediately proceed to a response of
"RE66"---he/she probably assumed (momentarily, at least) that you were
acknowledging receipt of his/her info with an "R"...and when you continued
on with the balance, i.e. "E66", they were probably  totally flumaxed!

At the risk of taking-up an extra second of time, or two, I always sent my
grid locator---FN03---twice. My personal pet peeve was those participants
who responded to my transmissions with a quick & snappy single "EN98"  (for
example): I engage in semi break-in here, and more often than not I'd miss
the first letter of the other fellow's grid...if they'd take a nano-second &
send it twice, I'd have had it, no problem! Hi Hi.

That's the good/bad/vexxing/challenging thing about the Stew Perry Challenge
that keeps on drawing us back to its fold: there is no simple "599 001"
exchange in this event! You really & truly have to THINK about what you're
listening to...

Which, again, is why I wish more ops would extend the courtesy of sending
their grids twice, for benefit of us lowly weekend part-time warriors on the
contest scene...

~73!~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ