[CQ-Contest] I can feel the heat! Fwoosh!

[K3BU at aol.com]

In a message dated 4/3/2001 09:45:28 Eastern Daylight Time, aa4lr at arrl.net
writes:

 >
 >  Outlaw packet, and a lot of these guys won't get on the air during a
 >  contest. It isn't so much about score, but fun. Casually operating a
 >  contest with packet assistance is fun. At least, for some it is.
 >

To me it is the same "fun" as walking into the ZOO and casually shooting few
animals here and there, which otherwise they wouldn't be able to shoot. Too
much trouble of finding and cornering the prey (rare DX) ?

I don't want to get into the reasons of pro and con here, but it looks like
gradual reliance on "crutches" (easier, more comfortable "hunting") is
getting us to the point where it is getting ridiculous. First it was nets,
lists, last two, repeaters, then packet. If someone put outboard engine on a
sail boat (in sailboat races) that would be a no-no. Yet when we want to
preserve single operator categories (without assistance by other operators
via anything) we scream for "deregulation," "everybody is doing it," "let's
have a fun." What happened to pleasure of hunting and demonstrating own
skills? Would you want someone else to have a sex "for you"?

It is not anymore who is the most skilled station builder and operator, but
who is more "clever" on soliciting contacts by other "gray" means.

Let me ask some DXers on the Honor Roll: How does it feel if you worked
majority of your new ones by scooping them off the packet and "making the
call"? Does it feel like being good hunter, or the one who "killed" most of
his DX prey in the biggest ZOO?

The point is, if we have a competition that is supposed to demonstrate and
measure our skills, has a rules, why not obey those rules and have a real
fun. If there is a such cry for packet assisted contest, lets have one and
all those lazy "hunters" can go and have a "fun" there.

I envy those guys who have a friend, who "without asking" will go and spot
his contesting friend about 50 times during the contest (pileup dies off, put
the spot out), while I was spotted only once by some UA6. Or those who sit on
their "own" run frequency whole contest, only to jump over to work the new
one delivered by packet assisted army of spotters.
And I am not talking about other "clever" uses of packet. Some fair play?
I think it is time to have a look at some top scoring logs and correlate with
packet spots and see who is really unassisted.

World would not cave in if during the contest we had all packet networks
display message:

"Closed for contest weekend, go and have fun doing your own hunting, good
luck!"

I guess it would make too much sense. I hope many will wake up and realize
the situation before is too late.

73 Yuri, K3BU
Tesla RC N2EE, NT1E


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