[CQ-Contest] M/S 10 Meter Contest - Question for Entrants

[k8cc]

At 03:17 PM 12/18/01 -0500, AA4NC at aol.com wrote:
>I suspect from the disparity in scores that there were lots of different 
>schemes used. I haven't operated the 10m M/S for a couple years, and had 
>originally thought that there was a 10 minute/6 band change rule (as in 
>most ARRL contests). Since I had not read the rules in a long time, I was 
>surprised to see N1ND's e-mail clarification prior to the contest that 
>mode changes were allowed for multis AS LONG AS ONLY ONE SIGNAL WAS 
>TRANSMITTED. Wouldn't this outlaw an octopus?

Wil,

That is the point of an octopus - to ensure that only on signal is transmitted.

There are a number of ways to use multiple radios on a band, and yet ensure 
that only one signal is transmitted.  K3LR uses two radios, two amps, and 
separate antennas with lockout logic so only one radio transmits at a 
time.  W3LPL uses two radios but only one amp - Frank's antenna switching 
is so clever that each op can listen to his own antenna selection, which 
can be separate from the antenna doing the transmitting, but still only one 
rig can transmit at a time.

I don't know why people are so negative about octopi, lockout logic, or 
whatever.  I can demonstrate how to put two radios on one band with no 
outside hardware and single-transmission interlocks, using mostly Radio 
Shack parts so its not only a game for big, multi-tower stations.  Sure, it 
takes a certain level of cleverness to implement, but that's what allows 
one station to get an advantage over another.

I think it makes mult-ops a heckuva lot more fun.  This really applies to 
Sweepstakes - a "ten minute" or "six band changes per hour" rule would 
wreck the multi-op category in SS.  There is a multi-single philosophy of 
"a bunch of guys in a room with one radio" which might be OK for ARRL DX 
where you have multi-2 to step up to, but contests like SS where mults are 
mostly irrelevent and ARRL 10 where there is only one band (OK, two 
counting modes) need the freedom to aggressively pursue QSOs or boredom 
will set in.

Again, the ability to only one have transmission at a time is the absolute 
standard.

73,




Dave/K8CC


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