Should contest rules allow and act upon 599K QRM reports?

Sunday 23 February 2020

CW Contest for data operators

I'm all for data operators having a go at cw contests using a computer, but please read this before the contest to save annoying every cw operator on the planet. I've had a go at a few data mode contests and it seems usual in RTTY or PSK31 to give your call sign and report twice. The logic (i think) behind this is that sometimes the computer gets it wrong and at least if given twice your attention is drawn to try and correct mistakes. However, in cw contests this practice is frowned upon and unnecessary.

Here is the expected behaviour for CW contests:
1) CW contests are all about efficiency
2) Always give your call sign and report exactly once
3) If the station gets it wrong the first time, simply repeat the last exchange exactly once
4) If no response leave a gap then repeat exactly once then leave a gap

CW is really cool and I like operators that are really efficient. If you get no response then simply repeat the last exchange exactly once. Leave a short gap for the operator to come back, then if not repeat again, he will come back when he gets it or gives up...simple!

There is nothing more annoying than someone who repeats things twice without a gap when you make a mistake. Sometimes when a pile up is large you only get a partial call. The idea is that when you give this partial call, everyone else stands by and allows the caller to complete the QSO. If this caller decides to repeat information more than once without a break, the pile up gets impatient and the QSO takes even longer to complete.

If you are one of these annoying people who believes "give my call twice without a break if you don't get it the first time" please remember by doing this in a contest, it singles you out as a "data operator" or a "LID" to everyone waiting, and the run station at the other end will be shouting "I only need it once!", whilst 3-4  stations waiting in the pile-up may tune away due to the length of time they are having to wait per Q. 

Worse than this, you may double with the run stations response on your second unnecessary callsign repeat and a stalemate occurs which is normally always broken by the run operator having to repeat your call to let you know the previous exchange was for you. Of course you probably don't remember the exchange as you are just playing and the operator has to give you the whole exchange again. By this point most of his Q rate will have vanished, together with the pile-up. At this point your Q will have been most unwelcome as it was at everyone else's expense....

Why am I such an angry man for such a little thing? Out of an entire contest of say 2000Qs over 24hrs, roughly 1 in 5 S&P stations do this during a pile-up, that's 400Qs where I lose the will to live.

REMEMBER... what is right for a normal cw qso is not correct for a cw contest!