[UK-CONTEST] 3 Letter Calls

[Ken Eastty]

Gerry,

I think your six characters with a 'big fat zero' in the middle is 
shorter (on CW) than my five characters with a three in the middle 
counting the characters & spaces gives about 44 vs. 55 dot units.
I'm happy to be corrected on the numbers but in any case there is little 
difference in time taken to send either call, check it yourself.

This is not the case with a three letter call which might take just half 
the time to send, potentially quite an (unfair?) advantage over the 
duration of a CW contest especially as there are a limited number of 3 
letters calls available, certainly not enough to go round if every UK 
station who entered a contest applied for one.

I feel sorry for those who are blessed with the 2E0 etc. even on 'phone, 
at least it provides an incentive to progress to M0 etc.
Why there is no direct route to the 'full' license for those who are 
able to pass the exam remains a mystery to me.

I find it hard to understand the attraction of a so called 'Vanity 
call'. Whilst I can understand wanting to keep a call that had 
previously been allocated to a family member or maybe contains your 
initials, but otherwise what's the attraction? Perhaps someone who holds 
one of these 'assumed' calls would care to explain?

73...

Ken

G3LVP (only held for 54 years)




> On 01/02/2011 18:35, Steve GW4BLE wrote:
>> Re:
>>> What we really need is a proper Vanity Call system, perhaps just
>>> for G3s (only kidding)!
>> Why not?
>>
>> I've got no interest in one, but I know some have. Why shouldn't
>> there be some sort of 'long service' option for anyone who has
>> held a licence for say, forty years ?
>
> I am 33 years old (and have been licensed for 19 of them).  I would
> like a vanity call as my callsign is unbearably long, with six
> characters and a big fat zero in the middle. around 20 years ago
> now? Seriously, what's the problem?
>
> 73
>
> Gerry Gi0RTN
>