This discussion seems to come up every season.
We seem to go from being very 30,000 feet to very granular in our
approaches and then swing the other direction.
Some say that getting any information other than from what you can get
on the radio is assistance.
Some say that unless you are given the callsign, the frequency, and the
mode of operation, nothing is assistance.
Clearly the truth is somewhere in between with the current battle
focused on whether contest scoreboards are assistance.
I like scoreboards, they give real time information on your competition
and create fun and excitement. For those of you who rue the loss of
"youth" in contesting, the existence of real time scoreboards actually
has an appeal to contesters of a younger generation.
That being said, with the right information, I can very easily see how
getting information for a scoreboard (as long as it is detailed
breakdown information) could be assistance. For example, for USA hams
in marginal sunspot years, when the first morning of a 48 hour contest
hits, real internal struggles brew amongst SO entrants as to if and when
to move to 15 or 10. If you see a competitor has suddenly started
racking up QSOs on 10 meters while you are on 20 or 15, you've clearly
had information brought to your attention that may indeed modify your
behavior. No, you didn't receive information on specific QSOs or
callsigns, but your behavior has changed because you are now thinking
that someone else is beating you to the punch. Some would call that
assistance; others would not.
How about this: the technology adherents would say that unless you are
given specific information on callsigns AND frequency, there is no
assistance. Fine, how about just callsigns? I can see a skimmer being
modified to simply post what callsigns are active on a band. You have to
find them, but you've been alerted that a band is open. That's a big
benefit in low sunspot years. Conversely, you could use the same
technology on 160 when folks go to 160 at the top of the hour.
See where this is going???
My assessment of what constitutes assistance would be information that
gives you data concerning specific callsigns OR frequencies OR provides
information regarding the operating patterns of other operators.
I mention these items because I believe the definitions of "not
connected" reach absurd levels. I have no problems with using the
Internet to look at www.weather.com to see if a storm is coming or using
Spaceweather to look at where the auroral oval is situated. I have no
problems watching TV during a game and recognizing that on Sweepstakes
Sunday, the rates are about to tank because its 12:55 pm and the first
football games of the day are about to kick off.
What I think makes one assisted are discrete sets of information that
cause you to dramatically alter your operating behavior (packet spots,
recognizing your competitor went fishing on 10 meters, etc.). I feel
that WWV is generalized enough that it affects you generally, but you're
not likely to make a split band change because of it.
73 Rich NN3W
On 4/5/2016 8:25 AM, Paul O'Kane wrote:
On 05/04/2016 11:54, Pete Smith N4ZR wrote:
Sorry, Ron, but I totally disagree. If it doesn't *assist* someone
to watch a scoreboard without band breakdown information (and it
doesn't), then it is not *assistance*.
We're going round in circles here with everyone
interpreting "assist", "assistance" and "Assisted"
as they, personally, think it should be defined.
All relevant technology assists.
The main difference between the "Assisted" and
"Unassisted" categories has always been whether you
connect to external networks to improve your score
or gain a competitive advantage.
That's why, IMHO, the categories should change to
Connected and Unconnected. That would appear to
remove most uncertainty and ambiguity.
* You use the cluster - you're Connected.
* You use the RBN - you're Connected.
* You use real-time scoreboards, or any other
networked technology, to influence or
modify your strategy - you're Connected.
It's really simple - you're either Connected or
Unconnected.
I know and accept that local decoders and skimmer-
like technology would continue to be "Connected".
That's why I referred to "the main difference"
above.
73,
Paul EI5DI
73, Pete N4ZR
Download the new N1MM Logger+ at
<http://N1MM.hamdocs.com>. Check
out the Reverse Beacon Network at
<http://reversebeacon.net>, now
spotting RTTY activity worldwide.
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.
On 4/5/2016 12:52 AM, Fco. Luis Delgadillo wrote:
Enviado desde mi Huawei de Telcel
Ron
A couple of questions:
Have you tried yourself the live scoreboard.
The Best way to finding out, is perhaps, if you try the scoreboard
and then have an informed opinion - to discern facts from gut feelings?
-------- Mensaje original --------
Asunto: Re: [CQ-Contest] cqcontest.net
De: Ron Notarius W3WN
Para: 'Pete Smith N4ZR' ,'CQ Contest'
CC:
But here's the thing Pete.
When you receive that information. how did you get it? Where did
it come
from? You said yourself. "You must decide to post your score"
and what
other information is to be posted for use by other operators.
So ultimately, the answer is. it came from other operators who are
posting
that information. How is that not assisted?
Look, I don't have a problem with the scoreboard or similar
exchanges of
information. I'm not saying that the software that provides the
capability
should be disabled.
Just please don't tell me that it's not "assisted" and using it
doesn't put
you into an Assisted or equivalent operating category. It is. (Or
to put
it in the vernacular, don't spill a drink on my slacks and then
tell me it's
raining.)
Sometimes I operate Single Op/Assisted. Sometimes I don't. The
reasons why
vary depending on the event in question and how I am choosing to
approach
it. I'm comfortable with either category these days. I just don't
pretend
one is the other. And I don't ask that the line between them be
blurred.
Either you are assisted. or you aren't. It is that simple.
73, ron w3wn
_____
From: Pete Smith N4ZR [mailto:n4zr@contesting.com]
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2016 4:01 PM
To: Ron Notarius W3WN; CQ Contest
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] cqcontest.net
Ron, at least in the case of cqcontest.net and users of MM+, this
isn't
true. You must decideB to post your score, and you can decide
(in MM+)
whether or not to include a band breakdown.B Without band
information,
access to this resource is nothing but fun, and should not be
considered
assistance.B Perhaps the sponsors could voluntarily disable the
band
breakdown display during contest weekends, and the whole issue
would go
away.
73, Pete N4ZR
Download the new N1MM Logger+ at
. Check
out the Reverse Beacon Network at
, now
spotting RTTY activity worldwide.
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.
On 4/4/2016 8:16 AM, Ron Notarius W3WN wrote:
...The scoreboard is directly based on spotting information.
Therefore,
information derived from it is (IMHO) assistance for the purposes
of most
contests that recognize this category.
---
This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus
software.
https://www.avast.com/antivirus
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
|