Okay, visualize it this way...
You have two master chess champions vying for this year's title. The
chess board is replaced by the amateur radio bands. Now the masters
apply their skills of contesting instead of playing chess. Fair enough.
Now introduce "Prospector" as an aide available to both contesters.
How does this change the game? Is it still fair?
73 de Bob - KØRC in MN
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On 2/25/2013 2:20 PM, Jack Haverty. wrote:
Imagine a server on the Internet. Let's call it Prospector. You send
your logs to it, in real time. It collects logs from a lot of people.
It also collects information from Skimmers et al. Maybe WWV,
WSPRNET, etc too. It knows a lot about what's going on, who's on
what frequencies, who's talking to whom right now, what bands are open
to where, etc.
When you connect to Prospector, you give it your profile. So it knows
what your equipment can do, what contest you're working, and it knows
the rules of that contest. It can compute your score from your log
transmissions, and display your running score for spectator amusement.
In return, Prospector sends you a constant stream of information. No
callsigns or exchange information is included. It merely sends
frequencies, and a projection of how many points you might make if you
QSYed there. So a target frequency, or even just a band segment, with
lots of juicy multipliers would get a high potential-point rating.
That rating would be based on your current personal situation, i.e.,
knowing from your log what mults and stations you've already worked,
etc. It could also tell you whether to make a quick single-Q Pounce,
or to go set up shop and start a Run. It might even suggest a
frequency that is clear.
Someone using Prospector would, to me, seem to be "unassisted" by the
WRTC rules 12.4 and 12.5. You would still need to go and copy the
callsigns and exchanges by ear. All the service does is suggest
frequencies to be investigated.
However, I suspect Prospector would prove very helpful in getting a
bigger score. You don't really care what callsigns you work. It's
only the point value that's important.
How's that for a hole?
IMHO, the Internet is a communications mechanism which can provide a
rich source of information. If you use the Internet to glean any kind
of information that might affect your score, you're being assisted.
If you use *only* ham radio to collect any kind of information, you're
unassisted. If you use any form of communications other than ham
radio, it's potentially assisting you.
73,
/Jack de K3FIV
[PS - it wouldn't surprise me at all if someone says that Prospector
already exists...]
On Mon, Feb 25, 2013 at 9:57 AM, brian coyne <g4odv@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
Ah - ha _ I see yet another multi thread post coming on re what is, and what is
not, assistance.
Why cannot all Contest Committees adopt the WRTC Standard ruling which makes it
pretty clear, to me anyway, what unassisted really means...
12.4. Use of DX spotting (e.g., Packet, Web, etc.), skimmer or any
other spotting and supplementary information network is not allowed. You are
not allowed to receive any assistance to learn the callsign or
exchange of any station other than by tuning the radio and listening by
human ear.
12.5. The use of any callsign database or the ‘Super Check Partial’
tool is not allowed. If the logging software incorporates this kind of
feature, it must be disabled. The logging computer(s) may display a
‘Check Partial’ list based only upon the callsigns already worked during the
contest.
Can anyone really pick holes in that? That is the way I like to play it, no
assistance, audio or visual.
73 Brian 5B4AIZ / C4Z.
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