Hi, folks-

There was some recent ballyhoo over whether you had to send your own call as part of the exchange in Sweepstakes, or if merely giving your call during your CQ message or answering a CQ was enough.

The rules state the following items must be included in the exchange:

4.1. A consecutive serial number;

4.2. Precedence;

4.2.1. "Q" for Single Op QRP (5 Watts output or less); 4.2.2. "A" for Single Op Low Power (up to 150 W output); 4.2.3. "B" for Single Op High Power (greater than 150 W output); 4.2.4. "U" for Single Op Unlimited; 4.2.5. "M" for Multi-Op; 4.2.6. "S" for School Club;

4.3 Your Callsign;

4.4. Check

4.4.1. The last 2 digits of the year of first license for either the operator or the station.

4.4.2. The same Check must be used the entire contest.

4.5. ARRL/RAC Section

So, to answer this question, your own call MUST be a part of the standard exchange of information along with the other station's call, QSO number, Precedence, Check and Section.

As to the order of the items in the exchange, we're not quite as hard on that issue as we were back in 1947:

"1) Contest exchanges must be sent in the order indicated, that of ARRL message preambles. Incomplete exchanges or wrong order of sending justifies disqualification." - ARRL 14th Sweepstakes Rules, October 1947 QST, p.49

We're not going to disqualify you if you send all the items in the non-standard order...but why would you want to? All the logging tools are geared toward receiving the information in the way it has been received for decades. By sending the data out of the standard order, you give the other operator that "deer in the headlights" moment that nobody likes. So, be a swell operator; send that data in the standard format, Old Man!

Hope everybody has fun this weekend. May you get a Clean Sweep!

73,

Sean Kutzko, KX9X

Contest Branch Manager