[CQ-Contest] Contest Ethics - A Case Study?

[Bill Coleman AA4LR]

On 5/21/98 9:42 AM, Zack Widup at w9sz at prairienet.org wrote:

>> * Entered as Single Operator (indicating they did not use 
>> PacketCluster): WB8RNY, W0VFO, K2MP, N9PQU
>
>It is possible to make packet spots without receiving any yourself.  I 
>have done this in the past.  The rules do not prohibit your spotting 
>stations for the use of others if you are not receiving any (and hence 
>are unassisted).

True enough, but the in the cases listed, the spots themselves are very 
incriminating:

WB8RNY  7210    WB8RNY  NEED IOWA FOR SWEEP          110  17 Nov
WB8RNY  7213    WB8RNY  LOOK FOR IA VT SPOTS        2213  16 Nov
WB8RNY  7200    WB8RNY  NEED IA VT PQ               2114  16 Nov
WB8RNY  14000   WB8RNY  NEED NNY KY IA VT SF        1911  16 Nov

W0VFO   7150    PSE     SPOT MAINE!!!                 39  17 Nov

K2MP    14218   K2MP    NEED pse spot IA            2303  16 Nov

N9PQU   21325   N9PQU   NEED NEBRASKA AND YULON     2113  16 Nov

These do not look like people who are posting spots for others, but 
ignoring spots themselves.

>It's VERY hard to determine if this was the case, though.  
>But I would give them the benefit of the doubt with the caveat that 
>they're being watched.

I disagree. If you look at the spots, it is quite evident these 
individuals are requesting spots. This implies that they are reading 
spots, which means they are receiving assistance.

Probably the hardest problem for enforcing this is NOT collecting 
incriminating evidence -- the evidence is clearly there. The hard 
problems are two-fold: 1) detecting people who covertly collect spots 
without logging on to the cluster, 2) people who falsely log another's 
callsign onto the packetcluster in order to disqualify the competition.




Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at radio.org
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901


--
CQ-Contest on WWW:        http://www.contesting.com/_cq-contest/
Administrative requests:  cq-contest-REQUEST at contesting.com