I am just finishing the log checking for the WPX CW contest and wanted to
share some observations that may be helpful for WW CW this coming weekend.
Beware of calls with lots of dots!
Missing a single dit can really change the nature of a call. H's become 5's
or S's become H's. Another problematic combination is V's and 4's or J's
and 1's.
For example, here are all the ways people copied KH7XS in WPX CW (only one
of these is correct).
K57XS
K5ZHS
K5ZXI
K5ZXS
KH6XS
KH7HS
KH7X
KH7XB
KH7XE
KH7XH
KH7XI
KH7XS
KH8XS
KS6XS
KS7XI
KS7XS
KS8XI
KX7XS
(The most common bust was KH6XS followed by KS7XS.)
Another group of highly busted calls are from Slovenia. S5 becomes SH.
There is only one SH call I know of (SH3O), so if you see an SH appear in
your log, ask for a confirmation!
Other examples include N4JN for NV1N. Or N1VI for NJ4I. You don't even want
to know how many variants there were of "special" calls like HF94KE and
OL25LP!
N6AA coined a term "call sign vocabulary." This is your knowledge of call
signs and call sign structures. The more you know, the more you are able to
correctly detect calls AND to detect when calls may not be correct.
Another hint -- actually listen to the zone number being sent. This can
offer a valuable bit of confirmation if the call you copied is matching
where you expect it to be.
Remember, the CQ WW gives an extra penalty for busted calls, so it is worth
the time to get the calls right.
Good luck to everyone this weekend and watch those dits and dots!
Randy, K5ZD
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