The question has arisen in the last few weeks about what makes a contact on the ham bands, how long should it be to count? Or, do the short contacts count? So let’s clarify a few things for the newcomers and maybe this will clear up some of the confusion.
A contact on the ham bands can be as long as you want it to be, you can have a marathon QSO lasting for several hours, or a quick one exchanging only signal reports.
In the case of DX stations operating expedition style, only a signal report needs to be exchanged, this can be as brief as five seconds. The reason for this rapid fire operation is the objective of the expedition is to give as many contacts as possible.
They do not care where you are located, or a long spelling of your location, or even your state, only thing that is important are four things. Your call letters are entered in their log correctly and a signal report exchanged with the band used plus the time of the contact.
Once you are recognized do not go off on a long litany or stall around with a signal report, go with the flow. Phone is 59 and CW 599. Now one can asked about the fact that what if they are not really 59, or 599?
This reverts back to the logging programs used at the expedition, no one uses paper to log contacts and it is easy for the op to check 59 or 599 for a signal report rather then searching for the keys to enter something else. It slows down productivity in contacts, so it really makes no difference about the signal report other then one was exchanged.
Another inquiry arose about the distance between stations to count as a contact for WAS, there is no distance rule other then you must be within 50 miles from your permanent location. In other words if you have a buddy across town and work him and he verifies the contact, it counts. You can be next to each other, work each other with 1 watt to a dummy load, it counts.
A radio contact took place, signal reports exchanged, the time was logged and the band used, it can be any band the league recognizes as ham radio band with the exception of 60 meters.
However, you cannot get in your car, drive to a neighboring state, work someone and count it if you are over 50 miles away from your permanent location.
You will find different standards on different nets, or gatherings, example of this is the County Hunter’s Net. A lot of time is wasted with one person trying to exchange a 3X3 contact. In most examples of this neither station was copying each other, but with the NCS taking up time to tell each station “Over” lots of time is wasted in productivity and number of contacts.
In the DX world, no one is directing traffic unless the DX station requests it, expeditions do not request any help, you are either heard, or you are not. None of this you got the first number, listen for the second, or it is coming to you like a bullet, 2X2. So the guess work continues and the only ones this type of operation is fooling are themselves.
The next time you want to work an expedition to a rare entity, jump in, work it, then move on to something else. If you wish to obtain credit with a paper card, or LOTW you may do so. The rest is up to you about how you want it confirmed. Or, you may feel working it is enough and no QSL card needed, or wanted. Of course this leaves only your word, sort of like the big fish that got caught, but no trophy on the wall. Is the story fact, or fiction?
I had one local boast one time of an uninformed individual stating he had worked 300 or 400 countries on the ham bands. I asked which one it was 300, or 400, naturally he said 400. I informed our boaster there is not 400 entities in the world. Plus, I asked for qsls to prove his boast. Our inflated ego man stated he did not need any QSL cards, did he work what he said was so? No proof! In fact this is just fantasy on his part.
The next time you have a QSO,you can make it as long as you wish, or short 59 and you are in the log.
