[WriteLog] Re: 2001 CQ/RJ RTTY WPX UBNs.

[Scot Herrick]

My fifteen cents worth:

My contesting is pretty limited from the home QTH - mostly RTTY contesting.
Most of my contesting is from big multi stations, the most recent and most
active being from K4JA's new contest station in VA. Working from such a
station, typically working 4,000+ QSO's in a weekend in a given contest,
provides plenty of opportunity to get lots of dupes (we work them all, often
200-300 in a given weekend), lots of uniques, and a good perspective on
UBN's. And, as we all know, working with big antennas or small antennas
means that past some number of contacts most of what we work to improve the
score is at or barely above the noise level - copying callsigns and
exchanges is therefore always interesting.

>From all of that experience from multi stations, here are the conclusions:

1. There are BIG variations in operator capability in copying stations and
exchanges.
2. Being able to see your UBN report (either as an operator in a multi or as
a single op) is an extremely good feedback device for how you copy in a
challenging environment - and something that you can remarkably improve.
3. UBN's from excellent operators - who move along pretty darn quick - show
a remarkably small amount of logging errors which leads to even bigger
scores against people with worse logging accuracy.
4. RTTY is interesting in that it's not an operator copy function, it's a
software copy function, so it's a little less useful from an operator
viewpoint. Operators need to give their calls more than once to make sure
the software is really copying correctly.
5. Arguing about specific instances in YOUR log is a lot less useful to the
groups on these reflectors than understanding how the log checkers check the
logs when you submit them and how they take away the QSO's. I'd rather hear
how they remove QSO's so I can evaluate a contact while it's happening
during a contest so I don't run into problems later with the log.
6. Logging accuracy is a large competitive advantage on high scoring logs in
that fewer points are taken away as penalties - a 5% difference in score is
a big deal; if someone loses their position because of UBN's, that's a big,
loud message. And a good one given consistent treatment across the logs for
scoring.
7. And since this also goes to the WriteLog reflector, recording a contest
is an interesting experience on questionable contacts. (This will
undoubtedly start a whole additional thread about log checking after
contests, but that's OK - just deal with it).
8. You can only be responsible for your own log - but there is a tremendous
amount you can do to make sure your log is correct so 'it's the other guys
problem and that's where the penalty should be' doesn't wash here.

All in all, I love the checking of the logs by the log checkers. I just want
to know the rules for penalizing a contact so I know that I have it right
going into the log during the contest.

OK, so maybe it was a quarter's worth...

CU...Scot, K9JY

See WriteLog's complete user manual at
K9JY's WriteLog site http://www.k9jy.com

mailto:scot@k9jy.com

> Well now, seeing as Jim went public let me clarify this his
> particular 'incident'.
>
> AD1C wrote:
> > I too lost a QSO because the other fellow (who has been very
> active in
> > RTTY contests, just not this time) didn't bother to send in a log.
>
> The other fellow DID submit a log, in fact he sent it twice!
> The contact in question was a 'not in the log' problem, NOT a so
> called 'unique' problem.
> The other fellow appears correctly in numerous other logs.
> The other fellow failed to change bands in his software and logged
> AD1C on 20m instead of 80m.
>
> Now, tell me that this particular contact is valid and I'll go to
> the foot of my stairs.
>
> > * Penalizing a log because the unique call CAN be proven WRONG is
> fair.
>
> You beat your sweet bippy. (copyright Rowan and Martin's laugh-in).
>
> > * Penalizing a log because a unique call couldn't be proven
> CORRECT is
> > NOT fair.
>
> That depends.  e.g. FK8VHN or FK8HVN, which one is correct and
> participated in the contest?
> How come some stations with 1100+ Qs do not have a single 'unique'.
> Answers on a post card please :-)
>
> I thought the idea of giving contestants the privelege, not a God
> given right, to view their UBNs, was to assist them in taking MORE
> care when copying and logging call signs, rather than bickering
> about one Q lost here, another Q lost there.
>
> NO ONE in CQWW RTTY or CQWW WPX, lost a postion in their category
> placings.


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