The ad-hoc committee is only charged with recommending new rules etc,
not adminstration issues. I think HQ/PS&C/CAC is pretty much aware of
the need to revamp the way in which the rules are presented but nobody
has had the bandwidth to do it until the Centennial has run its course.
Which more or less begins now although I am glad I am not on the "QSL
Fulfillment Team" :-)
Yes, I think HQ staff and their support team could rebuild the rules
without changing them (which would the full process be applied) along
with stating clearly some of the definitions. The Membership and
Volunteer Programs Dept Manager (NN1N) makes the call as to what is and
what isn't considered a rule change. Personally, I would like to see
all of the rules that apply to any particular contest be available as a
"single-click" download. That would take some editing and a little web
development but it's not completely out of scope.
In the absence of alternative rulings from HQ about what constitutes the
boundary between SO and SOU, I would use the following from the HF Rules
(http://www.arrl.org/general-rules-for-arrl-contests-below-30-mhz):
*2.2.1.*Use of spotting assistance or nets (operating arrangements
involving other individuals, DX-alerting nets, packet, multi-channel
decoders such as CW Skimmer, etc) not physically located at the station
is permitted. (Exception: spotting information obtained from any source
outside the station boundary via a closed or dedicated communication
link may not be used.)
Before anybody gets cranked up about HF rules in VHF+ contests, remember
that the original recommendation was only to create SOU in all ARRL HF
contests and it was the P&SC which extended it to VHF+ without any
additional discussion. So the original recommendation was based on
2.2.1 as above. That definition needs to be broadened and made less
dependent on specific technology but it will suffice for now.
73, Ward N0AX
On 1/2/2015 12:57 PM, James Duffey wrote:
Ward - I understand about sausage. :^)=
I think that one of the major tasks for the Ad Hoc committee should be to
consolidate all of the rules in one place. Included in that I hope would be
clear definitions and specific language as to what is allowed and not allowed.
I am not sure if they are undertaking that or not; I suspect that I am not
alone in my suggestion of this to the committee. Figuring out all the rules one
should follow for a VHF contest is a bigger task to the newcomer than it should
be and is a bit annoying even to the seasoned veteran. If the rules are not
changed, is consolidating them something the HQ staff could do on their own, or
would that require direction (and the accompanying delay) from the PSC?
In the meanwhile, without a clear definition of assistance, the new categories
could be a wild ride in January. - Duffey KK6MC
On Jan 2, 2015, at 11:24 AM, Ward Silver <hwardsil@gmail.com> wrote:
I am not sure I would want to see the actual diagram...something about sausage
being made :-)
The current rules have grown incrementally over the years with the technology
changing far faster than the verbiage. This is hardly unique to the ARRL but
the drawn out, multi-threaded process for rule changes pretty much guarantees
the rules will be well behind the needs of the community. It's not a good idea
to have the rules changing at every shift in the wind either. A re-balancing
of the process is sorely needed and has been for a long time.
Definitions are quite important and there are few except those sprinkled about
here and there. Perhaps with the Centennial behind us, that would be a good
project - to collect, reorganize, and re-state the rules of the world's largest
radiosport program in a more understandable format. There's no reason for
three overlapping sets of rules for any contest - it's an artifact of the paper
era during which the League's processes were designed.
it seems to me that implementing these rules now will cause confusion with what
the Ad-Hoc committee is doing, recommending, or has done.
Perhaps, but as I observed in the first post, anything the ad-hoc committee
comes up with is at least a year away from implementation, probably longer.
With a more engaged Contest Branch Manager and no competing year-long special
events, there will be a higher signal-to-noise ratio for the process, I'm sure.
73, Ward N0AX
On 1/2/2015 11:37 AM, James Duffey wrote:
Thanks Ward for the clarification. To me, at least, this points out what a convoluted path
ARRL contest rules changes and implementation take from inception to implementation. It is no
wonder people get a bit confused during the process, particularly if it is drawn out as how
this one has been. We have all seen the High School Civics posters on “How a Bill
becomes Law”. It would be nice to see something similar for how a rule becomes changed
or implemented in an ARRL contest.
I still have a big concern about the new rules as there is no definition of
assistance in the new rules. I suspect that the restriction in the ARRL General
rules:
• 3.14. In contests where spotting nets are permissible, spotting your
own station or requesting another station to spot you is not permitted.
is the only assistance guideline that applies. So all forms of assistance
appear to apply except for self spotting. It is clear that the ARRL General
Rules for ARRL Contests Above 50 MHz has not been updated to reflect assistance
in the January contest. That will cause some confusion.
Without any guidance, I suspect that most participants will assume that the most
liberal application of assistance applies. If left to one’s own judgement there
will be a lot of differing implementations, which will leave people competing in the
same class with different rules.
As you say, the timing of the rules changes could have been better. Not only is
the lead time short, it seems to me that implementing these rules now will
cause confusion with what the Ad-Hoc committee is doing, recommending, or has
done. - Duffey KK6MC
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