This isn't the first time this particular "controversy" has come up. I know
some top-ranked purists who think internet propagation reports shouldn't be
consulted. Personally, I see no harm in it and a lot of potential good. I
think it helps ops to learn more about propagation, which is a huge and
difficult subject to master. I think any practice that helps people to be
better operators should be encouraged. Besides, it's really fun to dig a
piece of data out of the reports and use it to nail a new mult. There's no
correlation between this and shooting fish in a barrel (i.e., packet.) It
takes brains and some guesswork, and there are risks involved. I think it
adds to the skill requirements in the same fashion as SO2R (please, let's
not start that debate again.)
Just because the data is gathered and made available by others doesn't mean
they are directly assisting you to make contacts. Your radio was made by
other people, too, as were your towers and antennas (well, at least the
parts were made by others.) Propagation beacons were put up by others, and
no one suggests it would be a violation to listen to them. Are they OK
because they use amateur means? Well, then I should be able to listen to the
ARRL propagation bulletin.
Is it OK for me to check the local weather report to see if the wind is
going to blow hard enough that I should lower my crankup tower? If a club
member spots me, without my asking him/her to do it, isn't he/she assisting
me anyway? What difference does it make if I didn't ask for the help but
know that this person hunts me down and spots me in every contest?
I think sometimes the purists among us take the concept a little too far.
Either their positions are inconsistent (the thing I like is not "pure",
while the thing they like is), or an unnecessary inflexibility makes the
game too rigid and reduces the fun. My feeling is that the same people would
float to the top regardless of whether these smaller items are allowed or
not, so we should choose whatever leads to the most fun for the largest
number of people.
Like I said before, the bottom line is whether a rule is enforceable, which
depends on whether the violation is detectable. We allow SO2R partly because
there's no way to tell when someone is using it (or even listening with the
other VFO.) The object of the game here is to make sure no one gets a truly
unfair advantage, like rubber clocking, using packet in the unassisted
category, transmitting simultaneously from two or more radios in a single-op
category, making pre-contest skeds for specific times and frequencies,
transmitting with illegal power (undetectable, unfortunately), using more
than one op in a single-op category (also undetectable, but what kind of
person would be complicit in that and why?), logging false contacts, etc.,
etc., etc.
Many people think it's a sin to make any changes to the log after the final
bell rings, and I generally don't unless I make a note of it during the
contest, but I don't really care if someone edits the log or not. It
certainly would be stretching the rules to use a call book, packet spot
history, or similar post-contest help, but again I don't really care if
people do that. The most important thing is whether the contact is in the
other guy's log. The lazy op who uses extensive post-processing will have
plenty of busted calls even with all the post-processing facilities one
could use. If other ops beat me by post-processing, then it's much more
likely because I didn't operate as well as they did and/or didn't have as
much aluminum in the sky. Besides, there's no way for me to know that they
did it.
73, Dick WC1M
> -----Original Message-----
> From: K0HB [mailto:k-zero-hb@earthlink.net]
> Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2004 5:54 PM
> To: Tim Duffy K3LR; TOMK5RC@aol.com
> Cc: cq-contest@contesting.com; geoiii@kkn.net
> Subject: RE: [CQ-Contest] Single Op Unassisted - Propagation
> Assistance?
>
>
>
> > [Original Message]
> > From: Tim Duffy K3LR <k3lr@k3lr.com>
>
> >
> > I am curious what this group thinks concerning the use of
> the Internet
> > for single op unassisted stations? Do you think it is within the
> > spirit of the rules to obtain real-time propagation data
> (or any other
> > data) from
> Internet
> > sites during the contest period if you are single-op unassisted?
> >
>
> As you know, Tim, I'm very much a "boy and his radio" kind of
> contester.
>
> In that mindset, any information which doesn't reach me via my
> antenna-connector/headset route doesn't belong in the shack.
>
> Having said that, I'd have to wonder what sort of Radioman,
> with his head
> inside the band, would need to consult an internet site for
> propagation
> information?
>
> 73, de Hans, K0HB
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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