FW: [Elecraft] K3: Is it wrong?

[Dick Dievendorff]

David, G4DMP wrote: What I cannot understand why all stations are 5NN in
contests, when they could be 5DN, 5BN or worse. ;-|

David:

I'm a contester, and I'll tell you why I send 5NN to everyone, regardless of
their actual signal strength:

The contest rules often require "a signal report". There is no requirement
for an ACCURATE signal report.

My objective in a contest is to work stations rapidly and record accurately
the required contest exchange. I don't care what my real RST is. It's either
"I can hear you well enough to log you" or "call me back when you get a real
antenna".

For contests where the exchange is non-trivial (let's say a serial number is
involved), it's much more difficult to get that part accurately than
someone's call sign (especially if you have access to a list of well known
call signs).  If you additionally had to accurately record a varying signal
report, it reduces QSO rate and potentially increases the error rate.

If I'm working someone I can't hear well, I can sometimes get his call sign
after a few tries, and then lose the QSO because I can't get the serial
number.  It's frustrating.  One of us may have a bad QSO in our log.  In
years past I might have guessed. Usually these days I erase the QSO unless
I'm sure. Maybe the other guy didn't erase the QSO if he heard my exchange,
and our "busted QSO" might cause him a penalty because I erased it. In
contests that have a geographic zone as the exchange, I don't often lose a
QSO with someone in Japan because I can't figure out their contest exchange.

I don't seek an "honest" signal report. I want 5NN.  It is transmitted
because it is a required part of the contest exchange, not because it has
any value to me.

And we do understand the humor of this.  After struggling for a long period
to get a needed weak signal multiplier, you'll sometimes hear "what's my
REAL signal report". Or "you're five nine 3. What's your call again? You're
very weak and there's a lot of noise".

No contest log checker I'm aware of verifies signal reports in contest logs.
They check call signs and serial numbers (SS checks more). Some contesters
may choose to log a nonstandard received signal report as 5NN without
penalty.

73 de Dick, K6KR