[UK-CONTEST] 1st 1.8Mhz - This weekend

[Paul O'Kane]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Andy Chadwick" <andy at g3ab.net>

> The right way is to log what is actually sent.
> (ask any professional CW operator).

Not always true, ask any serious contester.  For example,
/QRP is not recognised, by any licensing authority, as
a required component of a callsign.  Many listeners
interpret /QRP as a plea for special treatment.

In NFD, it sometimes happens that individual stations
or operators are not consistent with their use of /P.
If the station signed /P on the first QSO, but not on
a later QSO, it would be pointless not to log it as
/P.

> The sending station and *only* the sending station
> determines what his callsign and traffic are.

In a contest, the receiving station is obliged to log
only the relevent element(s) of the exchange.  I have
an objection, and perhaps it's completely irrational,
to logging exchange elements that are evidently wrong
or superfluous.

> The sending station is best placed to determine the
> validity of that, not a distant receive operator. Even if
> the exchange is misguided or incorrect (per licences) it
> should be recorded as sent.

Where, in any contest rules or in any licence, does it
say a "misguided or incorrect" exchange should be recorded
as sent?  Could it be that you are making this up as you
go along.

> A log should  be an *accurate* record of the activity
> which took place.

Really?  So, when entrants in the RSGB 1.8 MHz contest
mistakenly send their old 3-character county code, instead
of the 2-character district code, the 3-character code
should be recorded?  I don't think so.

You may be interested to know that, in CQWW - the most
popular contest in the world, when a station sends a
zone that is obviously incorrect, entrants are advised
to log the correct zone - not what was sent.  I can
give precise references to back up this statement.

> If it doesn't fit in a computer log or isn't what the
> receive operator would like to hear, it doesn't alter
> the fact of the actual telegraphic exchange.

Is there any possibility that the "actual telegraphic
message", whatever that means, could be wrong or just
nonsense?  If so, what is the poor contester to do?

> It's that simple.

If only!

73,
Paul EI5DI

ps - for information, and to avoid any doubt, SD permits
UK entrants in the RSGB 1.8 MHz contest to log province
codes from PA stations.