[CQ-Contest] Kudos to CQ WW for Busting Packet Cheaters!

[Tony Field]

Although there is the moral aspect of cheating when using the cluster,
I suspect the cheating may result in poor scores.

As a TINY GUN (two orders of magnitude less effective than a BIG GUN)
and only partially serious about contesting, I found that my score was
lower when I tried to collect the mults than by simply doing S&P with
enthusiasm.  With my small signal, I had to wait 10 to 15 minutes
before I could contact the mult.  This time was better spent in S&P
mode.  As a test, I ran four cw contests last year, two in
cluster-assisted mode and two not.  My non-assisted modes were
slightly better and were more fun to operate.

Obviously, by the chatter on this thread, those with reasonably
effective stations benefit more from cluster cheating than I have
experienced with a "poor" station.

Besides, I personally feel that 2000W, 6-over-6-over-6 on a 150 foot
tower is MUCH MORE ASSISTED than my 400w Ameritron amp and my TH6 on a
48 foot tower, even if I use the cluster :-)   Unfortunately, I do
"compete" (an oxymoron!) with the big single op, single transmitter
stations.

None the less, contesting is really fun...

tony field (ve6yp)
ve6yp at rac.ca
http://www.qsl.net/ve6yp


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