[CQ-Contest] Computer and paper logs

[Guy Berger ON7ZV]

At 01:41 PM 3/16/00 +0100, i4jmy at iol.it wrote:
>
>> The contest is the thing.  How it's reported is strictly, and should 
>> remain secondary.

I completely agree. To do the best effort during the contest must be the
main task, whatever equipment is available. The radio contest goal is to
complete as many QSO/MULTs during the contest and not a typewriter or
computer skill competition.


>If contest management take months to perform the log checking it is the 
>sign this is an important, full part, of the competition and the form 
>of the logs can perfectly be one of the rules.
>I can bet that marginal or no log checking lead partecipation to fall.


Not true. As deeply involved in the UBA log checking procedure, I can tell
you that yeah that's a tough job to handle all the log formats, but we must
keep our minds open and "play" with low profiles stations.
An additional point is that some of hand written log submissions are much
better than some computer generated logs. Hand made logs are generally more
carefully checked before submission than those automatically generated.
Many people take whatever coming out of a computer as perfect.


>I can bet that havin' a rule for electronic logs lead to a positive 
>turn over were finally the entrants number is increased.
>
>> Not everyone has access to a computer, during or after the contest.
>
>Possibly true but fundamentally philosophical to amateur radio.
>A symple and obsolete super cheap PC (ie. 286 or 386) can be bought (or 
>got for nearly free) and works nicely. It cost much less than other 
>devices you need and buy. 

That's a well equipped station operator point of view. Let's try to know
what kind of rigs are used sometimes and you'll be VERY astonished.
Also, as working with different cultures and personalities, it's amassing
to see the number of people reluctant to a computer use. Without speaking
of people without any computer facilities access.

To conclude, I have to say that this point of view is at 180 degrees from
my interest. For sure I would prefer to have nice computer logs with the
proper formats to feed the log checking system and have the results less
than two months after the contest. But this is in the oposite direction of
a radio amateur contest philosophy to simply ignore less well equipped
stations.

73 de Guy

>73,
>Mauri I4JMY
>
>--
>CQ-Contest on WWW:        http://www.contesting.com/_cq-contest/
>Administrative requests:  cq-contest-REQUEST at contesting.com

**************************************************************
BERGER  Guy   *    Radio amateur call sign: ON7ZV 
                     Brussels DX Team member  
                 One of the Contest Committee gang
Cyclotron Research Center        
Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve
Phone:+32/(0)10 47 32 25   Fax:+32/(0)10 45 21 83
E-Mail:   BERGER at cyc.ucl.ac.be  
ICQ#  28738765
http://www.cyc.ucl.ac.be/
**************************************************************


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