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Contesting Online Forums : Tips : How are unconfirmed QSOs handled? Forums Help

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How are unconfirmed QSOs handled? Reply
by KT8K on March 17, 2009 Mail this to a friend!
I have only been contesting for a half dozen years, and just realized I don't understand how the different contest sponsors score QSOs where the other station didn't turn in a log, i.e. where the QSOs can't be confirmed. As I remember, at least one of the sponsors (ARRL, maybe?) would disqualify you if you had too many unconfirmed QSOs, and another (CQ?) will disqualify you if you have more than 2% "discrepancies" in your log.

A ham acquaintance told me recently (if I understood him right) that unconfirmed QSOs don't count towards my score, and could cause disqualification. If that is true, then why would anyone work the obviously casual stations that show up during contests - you know, the ones who have to have their exchange information explained to them? Why wouldn't I avoid such stations and work only stations I was pretty sure were going to submit a log in the contest?

My associate made me think that if I worked a half dozen QSOs in a contest and then didn't submit a log, I could be harming the stations I worked as far as their results. I have read through the ARRL contest rules, general and specific, as well as the CQ WPX rules, and I can't detect an answer to my question(s). Can anyone help?

Thanks in advance (also for responding to my tiny signal in the next test).
Best rx & 73 - Tim, KT8K
 
RE: How are unconfirmed QSOs handled? Reply
by VE3CX on April 2, 2009 Mail this to a friend!
If we only work stations that are in the contest/will submit a log, most contests would be over in a matter of hours. Clearly, we all work folks who are not in the contest/will not submit a log, so the question becomes � how do we verify such QSO�s? Actually, there are several ways.

First, the sponsor can create a list of stations whose calls appear in several submitted logs, but don�t turn in a log themselves. For example, W1XXX worked several stations on 20 SSB. If W1XXX appears on 15/20/40/80 at the same time in various logs, this looks suspicious. Working several stations in a row on the same band would tend to make it appear legit.

Next, the sponsors can look for callsigns that have been assigned in various countries national databases. Did one person work W1XXX, and this call has not been issued? Obviously, this is a busted call, and should not be counted. Can we work calls that only appear in one log? Sure. This is known as a Unique, and sponsors will include those in a UBN (Unique/Busted/Not in log) report.

I am sure there are other ways that logs can be verified, but the above shows that some degree of log checking is possible even if casual folks don�t submit a log.

Tom - VE3CX
 
RE: How are unconfirmed QSOs handled? Reply
by n8uze on September 26, 2009 Mail this to a friend!
Your friend is wrong. The casual QSOs do generally count. The casual contacts will be the bulk of the content of any serious contestor's log.

Basically it is on the honor system that you worked who you said you worked. If a submitted log has a high number of discrepancies (lots of uniques, lots of unissued calls and so on), that particular log may be disqualified but that is rare.
 
RE: How are unconfirmed QSOs handled? Reply
by KG5VK on October 9, 2009 Mail this to a friend!
Terminology can make or break an answer in a question such as yours

Unique Calls are those that only show up in YOUR log

Calls that you work and others work (that show up in more than one log turned in), even if those stations do not turn in a log but again were worked (by more than one op) are not considered Unique Calls

All of your QSO's count to a point
you are allowed so many Unique calls

I know of no sponsor that publishes how many uniques you are allowed because a few would add uniques up to that breaking point

Calls from stations that are in your log and others logs but that station did not turn in their log
are not considered Unique or even un confirmed

The software tools used by the sponsors is able to determine what is a viable exchange from a non Unique call - even though that station did not turn in their log

The software does this (in simple terms) by cross checking all logs as well as some other data accessible to the sponsor

An error rate percentage is allowed and that depends on the contest and the sponsor

It is why Major contest ops look at their stats from the LCR (Log Check Reports)

I have a Blog where I posted some of my analogy of our team's effort in ARRL SS

The following url will take you there

http://sdxa.blogspot.com/2008/05/errors-found-in-other-logs-they-busted.html

73
steve
kg5vk
 

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