It reminds me of Oppenheimer's analogy about the Atomic Age. The "genie is out
of the bottle". Web clusters, spotting networks, Twitter updates, etc. are here
and nothing will change that.
The ARRL can't police these sites, because they don't own them.
It seems to be that retaining the notion of an "unassisted class" is wishful
thinking. Many of us long for days gone by, filled with comic books, and
pinball machines, and rotary telephones. But those days are gone. You can
surround yourself with mementos of those days, or stubbornly refuse to use that
new touch tone phone, but it won't bring that world back.
In any contest, people can and will use whatever means are at their disposal to
win. Yes, most of us will follow the rule and take pride in the fact that we
didn't act dishonorably to win 5th place or crack the Top Ten. But there are
others who "win at any cost" will always be the order of the day.
The ARRL has to be realistic about their ability to enforce the rules of any
contest, and try to make it as fair as possible for everyone involved. It's
clear that they cannot effectively enforce many of the rules that involve the
use of spotting networks. So why not just admit that Genie is out of the
bottle. Allow assistance in the form of spotting networks, and move on.
This levels the playing field, and operators add another tool to their shack.
In the end, the best operators will still prevail, as they usually do. Yes, it
changes the game--and we'll mourn the passing of a simpler time, when a
operator could sit alone in a room, disconnected from the outside world save
for their radio.
But life and technology marches on.
73,
Les Rayburn, N1LF
EM63nf
Les Rayburn, Director
High Noon Film
100 Centerview Drive Suite 111
Birmingham, AL 35216-3748
205.824.8930
205.824.8960 FAX
205.253.4867 CELL
http://www.highnoonfilm.com
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