Topband: Contest dupes

[w5znjoel at gmail.com]

Good point, Jon.

I always work and log dupes, even though they are especially irritating to me but I understand there is a "human factor" involved regardless of the level of computer assistance or artificial intelligence assistance is applied. In my specific personal case, you can read that as human error on my part!! 

I made a comment about dupes in my 3830 soap box posting which I customarily do but regardless, work 'em again because as to your point it only takes a few seconds and may save you a penalty!

73 Joel W5ZN/ZF2ZN

-----Original Message-----
From: Topband <topband-bounces+w5znjoel=gmail.com at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Jon Zaimes, AA1K via Topband
Sent: Monday, January 26, 2026 10:25 AM
To: TopBand List <topband at contesting.com>
Subject: Topband: Contest dupes

Sometime during the second night of this weekend's CQ 160 meter CW contest, I answered a W station that was calling CQ. They came back with "dupe" though they were not in my log. I said "no" and sent a report. They came back with "already worked" and didn't send me a report. I repeated "not in log" and sent a report. They came back with a time that I was apparently in their log. But they were not in my log.
Since it was a slow period I persisted and they finally sent me a report. But this fellow wasted far more of both of our time than if he had just worked me when I called. There is no penalty for working a dupe -- the log checkers just ignore duplicates. Had I not persisted, however, this W station would have been penalized since his alleged QSO was not in my log. So folks, if someone calls you and you think it is a dupe, just work 'em again. They may have actually been working someone else, or flubbed entry on the keyboard of your callsign. Just log it a second time if you think it is a dupe.


73/Jon

Jon P. Zaimes, AA1K
Tower climber for hire
Felton, Delaware
http://www.aa1k.us/
 

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