This is a topic that is currently being discussed by the State QSO Party
Group. We are seeing stations operating remotely as in-state operators in
several different state QSO parties so that they can make more contacts for
the State QSO Party Challenge. Some stations are teaming up - "I will let
you use my station for in-house in my state's QSO party if you will let me
use yours during your state's QSO party." Some are piling up the points by
operating in-state in 5-6 different QSO parties.
The SQP Group would prefer that the contest sponsors seek a solution to
this issue. It is obviously too late to prohibit the practice, but the
sponsors need to address the inequity that remote stations have in scoring.
I think the WWROF should take the lead and act promptly.
This is my personal opinion and should not be considered a position of the
SQP Group.
Stan Zawrotny, K4SBZ
Administrator, State QSO Party Group
__________
Stan, K4SBZ
On Sun, Oct 4, 2020 at 3:21 PM Paul O'Kane <pokane@ei5di.com> wrote:
> Last month, W3LPL and K3LR announced that they had decided not to
> compete in any multi-op category in the 2020 CQ WW contests.
>
> http://lists.contesting.com/archives//html/CQ-Contest/2020-09/msg00036.html
>
> They went on to say they "remain hopeful that science will allow our
> teams to resume Multi Multi operations in 2021"
>
> There are at least two ways in which science will permit this. The
> first depends on the availability, and uptake, of effective vaccines
> within the next 12 months. Right now, that's uncertain. The second is
> that science, or rather technology, will help remote multi-op entries to
> be competitive.
>
> There are many positive aspects to remote contesting, including -
>
> It gets more people on the air - meaning more QSOs and more contest
> entries.
> It saves the ops time and money - they don't have to travel to the
> station.
> It's safer - no close contact between operators, whether day or
> night, over several days.
> The RF is exactly the same, no matter where the operators are - so
> what's not to like?
>
> There are some disadvantages -
>
> It's expensive, and technically challenging, to configure a station
> for competitive remote entries, and particularly so for multi-op.
> Latency can be a problem, especially for CW - though 5G may provide a
> solution.
> As those who work remotely know, team spirit can be affected - it's
> "just not the same".
>
> Regardless of these disadvantages, it's likely that multi-op contest
> stations/owners generally are gearing up for remote operation - if only
> to have the option in future.
>
> So, it's all good then - or is it?
>
> Not quite. We're in the early stages of what I call Distributed
> Contesting, of which remote operation is an example. Until a few years
> ago, it was a requirement in contest rules that all station equipment
> had to be located within a given area. With the increasing take-up of
> remote, "equipment" was changed, typically, to "all transmitters,
> receivers, and antennas" - meaning, in practice, that not all station
> equipment had to be located within a given area. In other words,
> stations are becoming distributed.
>
> Further, CQ WW 160 permits the use, for SO Assisted, of one "remote
> receiver located within 100km of the main transmitter site". For a good
> reason, of course - the rule is "designed to accommodate new technology,
> and for those who experience high noise levels at the transmitting
> site". This is an example of the increasing distribution of stations,
> whether remote or otherwise. If follows that, since "high noise levels"
> can apply to any band, and we all aware of increasing noise levels in
> urban areas, there will be pressure to permit this concession more
> generally.
>
> There is, simultaneously, an inexorable trend towards SDRs - Software
> Defined Radios. With faster communications technology and utilities,
> there is less need for all software components of an SDR to be available
> in one discrete location. If there's better processing power in "the
> cloud", in terms of modes supported (especially new digital modes), or
> filtering, or noise reduction - why not use it? This represents
> distributed receivers, and they're on their way.
>
> Remote operators are quick to point out the disadvantages, outlined
> above, they have to live with. What they prefer not to be reminded
> about is the opportunity value of remote capability. They can compete
> in circumstances where others cannot even enter.
>
> Neither do they like to be reminded that, at all times, they are
> dependent on public utilities (internet, 4G, whatever) for their QSOs.
> Further, they are simultaneously communicating over those same public
> utilities - they require more than RF alone to have their QSOs. This is
> easily demonstrated by asking them to disconnect from the utility, and
> then see how many QSOs they have.
>
> My point is that distributed-station operators, in order to realize
> their not-insignificant opportunity to compete, are obliged to abandon
> the communications-independence that until recently has been the
> hallmark, the defining characteristic, of ham radio.
>
> There's nothing wrong with distributed contesting - it's the preferred
> option for many operators. But it is different from RF-all-the-way, and
> evolving rapidly - driven partly by the constraints imposed upon us all
> due to the pandemic. Could we have reached a tipping point? It seems
> to me that this evolution is largely unregulated, with individual
> contest sponsors doing their best to keep up with evolving technology as
> it affects their particular events.
>
> My question is - will WWROF (the World Wide Radio Operators Foundation)
> help to regulate Distributed Contesting in terms of a general set of
> recommendations, including categories, for contest rules - with
> particular emphasis on the major events? The WWROF was created "by a
> group of radio operators who saw a need for an independent organization
> devoted to the skill and art of radio operating." Surely this is within
> their remit, and isn't "now" the right time for them to act?
>
> https://wwrof.org/
>
> 73,
> Paul EI5DI
>
>
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>
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