$$. 1 hour above guarantee for each period sat and not used. Would you take it then? That's also an incentive/protection for not over assigning it each day.

Essentially, shortcall is a day trip, and it would be better as a commuter if you could make it a one and done long commutable stretch. At some carriers, when you get switched from long to short call, it is done in a block of reserve days. Lets say max short calls in a month is 5. You get assigned prior to a 5 day block of reserve that you have been converted/and credited for your shortcalls for the month for that period. This essentially means you have to commute into base once per month due to short call. This really benefits commuters who are within 12 hours, but not 2 hours. As it is now, you can try to do this via yellowslip, but it doesn't always work out. This could mean you may have to fly in on day 1 for shortcall, if not used, go home and possibly have to go back again on day 3/4/5 to sit again. And it seems that the company loves to put 1-day buckets on SC for obvious reasons, and it makes it frustrating that every reserve stretch earns a commute, whether there is flying or not. Done the other way, use one stretch per month for shortcall, the rest you can sit at home if your in the >2-<12 commute, and only go to work to fly.