N5TJ's recent comment about "cut" serial numbers was right on the mark.
Cut numbers save transmission time, but your "QSO completion rate" is at
the mercy of the receiver. Since asking for a repeat probably consumes the
same amount of time as was saved by cut numbers in the previous twenty
QSOs, is this really a good tradeoff? This would not bother me (go ahead,
kill your own rate) except when I work you it holds me up too. Sorry for
being such a CW lid...
However, the purpose of this message was to beg and plead for people to
stop another counter-productive operating practice: that is, STARTING TO
SEND THE MILLISECOND MY CW STOPS!
Sorry, but with KW finals here I don't run QSK. I have my VOX delay set as
short as possible and still allow paddle-sent CW without excessive T/R
action. Yeah, I know about the CW PTT control in TR and NA, and its even
implemented at the main operating position. But unless I am NEVER going to
use the paddle, I can't fix things at this end.
I don't know why, but the problem seemed to be real bad this weekend. A
lot of JK1 calls turned into OK1s, G3s into N3s, etc. With one station,
who after three fills on the serial number still insisted on reacting so
quick that I could not get the first digit, I had to send "NO QSK HR" (and
suppress the urge to add "DAMMIT") and I copied the number no problem.
Come on people - I'll bet that less than 10% of contesters run QSK. You'll
speed up your rate (and lower the blood pressure of your victims) if you
just take a short breath before pressing the key. Keep doing it, and
you're being counterproductive at both ends.
73,
Dave, K8CC/NZ8O
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