Hi Dave,
Thanks for the opinion. There's certainly enough opinions out there, and
certainly yours carries more weight than most.
But...
Where in the rules does it specifically include propagation intelligence in
the definition of 'assisted'? Point that out and I'll shut up now. But if
we're going to start reading things into the rules, then we could read all
sorts of things into the rules. Would getting time data from WWV be
assistance? How about the WWV K-index?
Particularly given that one has likened propagation forecasting to weather
forecasting. Here's the forecast, look out the window to see if it's
anywhere near close. Just because the weatherman says it's snowing, it
doesn't necessarily mean I can go start building snowmen.
Similarly, knowing that there MAY be a path to somewhere doesn't mean their
WILL be a path, nor that anybody in that particular location will actually
be on the air.
Be all this as it may, again, I await the official response from the contest
sponsors. Absent their decision, nobody is correct.
73, kelly
ve4xt
----- Original Message -----
From: "David Pruett" <k8cc@comcast.net>
To: <vo1he@rac.ca>
Cc: "'CQ-Contest Reflector'" <cq-contest@contesting.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2006 10:18 PM
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] ZoneProp REMINDER
> Paul, Kelly, et al:
>
> It is one thing to utilize data before the contest, and another to use
> it during the contest.
>
> It is also one thing to take a set of data points, and derive your
> operating conclusions from it. While I think what Syl has put together
> is really cool, and I have a lot of technical admiration for what it
> took to make it work, ZoneProp is providing advice as to where IT thinks
> propagation will be. "Providing advice" (particularly during the
> contest in real time) sound like "assistance" to me.
>
> There's a whole lot of difference between whipping out one's DXEdge and
> getting "propagational advice" in real time from ZoneProp during a
> contest.
>
> Dave/K8CC
>
>
> Paul J. Piercey wrote:
>> Yeah, Kelly, I gotta agree. That's like using a greyline map being called
>> assistance. This stuff is getting ridiculous now. You and Syl are right
>> about the contest sponsors being the final authority on the matter but,
>> as
>> well, they ALL need to be consistent in their rulings.
>>
>>
>> 73 -- Paul VO1HE
>>
>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com
>>> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Kelly Taylor
>>> Sent: November 25, 2006 02:16
>>> To: Guy Molinari; VE5ZX; CQ-Contest Reflector
>>> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] ZoneProp REMINDER
>>>
>>> Isn't this just an extension of the "If your wife brings you
>>> a sandwich, you better enter as assisted" argument?
>>>
>>> I see nowhere in the rules is there a prohibition on
>>> accessing propagation information. Nor do I, in my 25 years
>>> of ham radio, perceive any suggestion that the ephemeral
>>> "spirit" of contesting forbids it. (The only POSSIBLE
>>> exception, and it would be a stretch, IMHO, is the WW DX
>>> rules that say use of DX alterting assistance of any kind
>>> places the op in the assisted class.
>>> Whether that's to mean propagation intelligence we'll have to
>>> wait and see.)
>>>
>>> I also see nowhere in here any suggestion that ZoneProp
>>> provides specific frequency information nor provides any
>>> guarantee that if it says there should be a path to VR6,
>>> there will be a VR6 there to work.
>>>
>>> Indeed, it can't even guarantee that if conditions suggest
>>> there SHOULD be a path that there actually WILL be a path.
>>>
>>> Also, at the levels where this MIGHT make the slightest bit
>>> of difference, I suspect the operators are too busy juggling
>>> both radios and already KNOW what's open where anyway.
>>>
>>> Yes, the rules PROHIBIT using non-amateur means of
>>> communication TO SOLICIT QSOs. They do not contain a blanket
>>> prohibition on use of non-amateur means for the duration of
>>> the contest for any reason.
>>>
>>> Syl, however, is right: the ONLY opinions that matter belong
>>> to the various contest sponsors. I await their judgment.
>>>
>>> 73, kelly
>>> ve4xt
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Guy Molinari" <guy_molinari@hotmail.com>
>>> To: "VE5ZX" <ve5zx@hotmail.com>; "CQ-Contest Reflector"
>>> <cq-contest@contesting.com>
>>> Sent: Friday, November 24, 2006 2:10 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] ZoneProp REMINDER
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Nice work Syl, shouldn't here be a prominent message
>>>>
>>> reminding everyone
>>>
>>>> that they are in the assisted category if they use ZoneProp?
>>>>
>>>> 73 - Guy, N7ZG
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> From: ve5zx@hotmail.com> To: cq-contest@contesting.com>
>>>>>
>>> Date: Fri, 24 Nov
>>>
>>>>> 2006 12:11:26 -0600> Subject: [CQ-Contest] ZoneProp
>>>>>
>>> REMINDER> > ZoneProp>
>>>
>>>>> > Zone to Zone Propagation information will be available
>>>>>
>>> for the CQWW cw
>>>
>>>>> from> Radio Sport Canada>
>>>>>
>>> http://www.radiosport.ca/zoneprop/> > ZoneProp
>>>
>>>>> uses an widely accepted propagation engine to determine
>>>>>
>>> the band on>
>>>
>>>>> which a contestant in one CQ DX zone is likely to be able
>>>>>
>>> to contact a>
>>>
>>>>> contestant in another CQ DX zone taking into account the current
>>>>> geomagnetic> activity.> > ZoneProp produces a 40 zone by
>>>>>
>>> 40 zone matrix
>>>
>>>>> that is updated hourly at> approximately 20 minutes past
>>>>>
>>> the hour. The
>>>
>>>>> intersection between a row and> column gives the band on which a
>>>>> contestant in the zone represented by the> row is mostly
>>>>>
>>> likely able to
>>>
>>>>> contact an contestant in the zone represented> by the
>>>>>
>>> column.> > The zone
>>>
>>>>> numbers in the left hand column are clickable. Once> clicked the
>>>>> information for that zone is displayed in isolation above
>>>>>
>>> a map> of C
>>>
>>>> Q DX zones. The pages are refreshed every 10 minutes in
>>>>
>>> order to capture>
>>>
>>>> hourly updates of the matrix> > For technical details see>
>>>> http://www.radiosport.ca/zoneprop/manual.php> > ZoneProp is
>>>>
>>> designed for
>>>
>>>> high speed Internet access using IE 6/7 or a recent>
>>>>
>>> release of FireFox.
>>>
>>>> It has not been tested in other browsers or on slow> speed
>>>>
>>> (e.g. dialup)
>>>
>>>> Internet access.> > Syl> > Sylvan Katz - VE5ZX> Saskatoon, SK> >
>>>> _______________________________________________> CQ-Contest
>>>>
>>> mailing list>
>>>
>>>> CQ-Contest@contesting.com>
>>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
>>>> _________________________________________________________________
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>>>
>>
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>>
>
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