[Elecraft] K3: Is it wrong?

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Dick, K6KR wrote: 

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".

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Many years ago (1950's) I used to get on during Field Day if only from the
home station as a way of assessing how my current skywire was performing,
particularly whether it is showing directivity. The majority of stations
gave *real* signal reports then, a great many 'by ear' since many Hams used
receivers with no S-meter.

What Dick says is quite true today, and it's how one scores well in a
contest. Every second counts, whether one is pushing buttons on the rig or
considering a report. I have no complaint. Being competitive in anything
means understanding the rules well enough to avoid spending one second on
something they don't demand. 

And, who knows but one day before long someone will come up with software
that reads the signal data from a rig like the K3, including the S-meter
indication and the text from the CW decoder, and automatically responds with
a "real" signal report again! It might even evaluate the amount of hum on a
CW carrier to provide a real "T" report. 

Ron AC7AC