Re: Topband: Stew Perry Rules ?

[Ronald Sekkel <py2fus@integral.com.br>]

Hello TopBanders !

I do agree with the messages below. The usage o the DX cluster is today's 
way to spread information about DX. In the past we used mail, phone or VHF 
radios and now we use the Internet. And the DX Cluster is just one way to 
use the Internet to spread DX info, as some guys use the Internet chat 
(IRC) or even web chat's.

I would like to add some thoughts about the SPDX message exchange. The grid 
square of each station is not really a secret. After three years operating 
the contest and being on 6m (where grid square is a common exchange) for a 
while, I do know several grids by heart. Keep in mind the 4 digit grid 
square is big enough to completely hold some countries, not say islands. 
It's also available for most stations at qrz.com. Some log programs even 
bring back the previous grid information for the station being worked.

Living in grid GG66 makes my life a bit harder, as some guys think I'm 
sending each digit twice. I also believe the contest rules are a little bit 
unbalanced for those living in very populated areas, where people do not 
really need to copy the grid square as it's known by heart. I believe RST 
report plus a sequential number would be a better exchange, with the same 
difficulty level for everyone, as nobody can know it in advance or by 
heart. The distance could still be computed as the grid square would be 
send along with the log.

I´m also not sure if QSO's you do not exchange a valid RST report are valid 
for DXCC. I know you can always send a QSL with a default 599 report, but I 
don't really feel confortable with that, as despite the fact it's unreal 
most times, it was not really exchanged during the QSO.

Conditions were awful here this year. A local thunderstorm pushed the noise 
level to s9+ all night.
I heard only few stations from the caribean and one W station (W2GD) - very 
disappointing. If I didn't check the dx cluster I would not believe a 
contest was happening... BTW, I'm not sending a log this year.

Well, see you guys next year !

HNY & 73's

Ron
PY2FUS

At 19:44 28/12/2003 -0200, you wrote:
> I find it ironic that spotting is not an accepted part
> of the Stew Perry Contest. Some of us recall Stew
> being the leader in state-of-the-art spotting in his
> time; i.e. his newsletter that he composed, printed,
> and distributed at his cost via postal mail for the
> purpose of helping everyone find and work the elusive
> 160 DX.
>
> I further remember getting a 1 AM call from him via
> telephone to work a very strong european after I wrote
> him a note that DX was almost impossible at my
> location due to noise.
>
> I think Stew would have welcomed, endorsed, and be a
> top spotter on the web had he lived long enough to so
> so. The 160 God's who make the contest rules probably
> did not know Stew.
>
> I know He's looking down at us through the ionisphere
> wondering how a contest in his name doesn't endorse
> and use the best communications tools available to
> work DX on 160.
>
> Back in the 60's we did the hard way because there
> were no other options!
>
> Greg - W7MY
> x-WA9EYY
>
>
> Josep:
>
> Not everyone who operates is planning to send an entry
> for scoring.
>
> If you don't plan to send a log, you are not bound by
> any contest rules. You can post spots and use the
> packet system to work new states or countries.
>
> No rule changes is needed. The Stew is trying to take
> us back to the "olden days" before the cluster, when
> real operators needed to *listen*!
>
> Happy Holidays!
>
> 73,
>
>   Jeff Maass  K8ND
>
>   Caribbean Contesting Consortium - PJ2T
>
>
>
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Ronald J. Sekkel - PY2FUS
py2fus@integral.com.br
Grid locator: GG66pt

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