Martin,
I think you're missing what I'm driving at. Maybe I'm being too subtle.
So let me put it this way:
When I choose to participate in a contest, it is for one of two reasons:
1. Casual operating, when I'm looking just to hand out a few contacts, or
searching for specific stations for my own reasons. In these situations,
I'm not being competitive, and the rules aren't going to be real important
to me because I'm not likely to send in an entry anyway.
2. Competitive operating, when I'm trying to pit myself against my peers.
Let's further exam this situation.
Odds are that for most international contests, with my current station and
antenna limitations, the probability is that I'm not going to "win"
anything. Even so, there is a possibility that I may do so (tiny though the
odds are) if the stars align, the heavens open, and the trumpets roar. And
it actually does happen from time to time.
Now, I also know that there are many contesters who are competitively
operating most or all of the time they operate. Fine. No problem. Sadly,
I also know that there is a tiny portion of contesters who like to look for
loopholes to enhance their scores... or who like, to put it bluntly, to
cheat in one form or another to improperly and unethically enhance their
scores. This is a problem that has existed for a long time, and let's be
honest... a contributing factor is that too many committees for too many
contests in the past looked the other way, or pretended nothing happened.
And I believe that people who operate unethically should be held
accountable. Or to put it bluntly, cheaters should be exposed, DQ'd, and
that this should be done publicly as a deterrent.
That said, my personal feeling is that the first thing that should be done
is that existing rules should be enforced, before adding on additional
layers of new rules. Obviously others disagree, and prefer to add new rules
and new layers to make operating life more difficult as a deterrent.
So with that as background... we have here one case where the contest
committee has decided to make the rules very specific for the "top"
operators, to discourage anyone from cheating their way into the top 3. But
as a result, the committee has just taken away any possibility that I could
"win". What have I done? Have I cheated? Have I skirted the rules? No.
I simply use an older radio that lacks a computer interface. For that
reason and that reason alone, I can't hope to "win" this event. Ever.
So... why should I bother operating? Oh, I may make a few QSO's operating
casually, but not nearly as many as I would if I were operating
competitively. How does that help the contest? How does that help the
other competitors who are looking to maximize QSO's?
But, I am told now that this is a necessary step for the "top 3". And since
I'm never going to be in the top 3... since I'm effectively disqualified
before I even start... I should shut up and not say anything, because this
doesn't effect me. In short, I'm not supposed to question rules that by
design mean I can't ever "win."
If you don't see why this is or should be a concern, then we have a bigger
problem than I thought.
73, ron w3wn
-----Original Message-----
From: cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com
[mailto:cq-contest-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Martin Monsalvo,
LU5DX
Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 11:16 PM
To: CQ CONTEST
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] WRTC-2014 event scores for Russian DX Contest
Ron.
There are rules for all competitors. Whether you want to be in that "elite"
or not is a personal choice.
The reason why for specific rules applicable to top entrants in this contest
makes perfect sense and is ineed a very valid approach by the organizers.
73.
Martin, Lu5dx.
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