No ... it doesn't. SOAB/assisted still only allows one operator.
That points to what I think the majority of people against the new rules
are overlooking. There currently is no viable category for the
situation where a few people want to gather together at someone's shack
to share the effort of a 48 hour contest using a single rig. Everyone
seems to assume that if those folks aren't serious enough to put
together extra rigs, antennas, and switching hardware that they aren't
serious, period. I think that's pretty arrogant. I think it's also
pretty careless to simply assume that there aren't very many hams who
fall into that situation.
I have only a modest station, but as SOAB I can compete reasonably
within my geographic area if I put forth the effort. If I improve as an
operator I could do even better. However, if someone wants to join me
for a combined effort to split the operating time, we don't have a
prayer of being competitive in M./S under the old rules. Even worse, in
my opinion, is that if we want to become more competitive in M/S we have
to totally refocus on hardware issues instead of operator proficiency.
Per my comment above, I'll bet there are a whole lot more people who
would be willing to develop their operating skills versus those who
would be inclined to invest more money in their stations.
I don't think the proposed rule change has anything at all to do with an
"imbalance" of categories. It has to do with the total absence of one
... a true M/S category. Whatever you think of the proposed changes, I
think we at least have to give Randy a lot of credit for trying to fill
the gap.
Possibly the better path would be to keep the current M/S category and
add a new one .... where the rule allowed only one rig in the shack to
be powered up within any ten minute period or something similar. If
nothing else, it would offer the ability to see from log submissions
where the bulk of the interest lies.
73,
Dave AB7E
W7VJ wrote:
> The comment regarding the new M/S being analogous to a SOAB/assisted category
> makes
> sense. That's what this proposes, whether the assistance is electronic or
> human, or both.
>
> Andrew
> W7VJ
>
>
>
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