[Elecraft] prosigns and the like

[David A. Belsley]

I hate to add to the qrn on this topic, but my understanding (a  
phrase I use to avoid the dogmatism I would otherwise employ) is that  
a prosign is merely a means for indicating two (or more) letters  ***  
which, when run together ***  mean something.  Thus, someone earlier  
suggested that KN, meaning an invitation to transmit, was a prosign.   
This clearly is not so.  KN  with a space between - does mean "go  
ahead, but please no interruptions from those not already in the  
qso".  Whereas KN with no space is the international morse character  
for a left parenthesis - KK being the right.

My feeling on the matter is that procedural signals such as BK, CL,  
CQ, DE, KN, VE that are not prosigns should indeed have a space  
between the letters.  Whereas one can get away without the space in  
BK or CQ (don't try it with DE or VE), that doesn't prevent me from  
considering it sloppy sending and an indication of incomplete  
knowledge of the nature of the game.

best wishes,

dave belsley, w1euy (dogmatic as always)