[CQ-Contest] SS Question

[Tom Frenaye]

At 07:37 PM 11/14/2001 -0500, Jim Reisert wrote:

>At 11:18 AM 11/14/2001 -0500, Bill Coleman wrote:
>>On 11/7/01 3:39 PM, Mark Bailey at kd4d at radix.net wrote:
>>
>>>Y'all need to consult the rules:
>>
>>Actually, the contest judges are a bit smarter than the rules. The log
>>checking software recognises when your exchange is "unstable" in this
>>manner.
>>
>>So long as your log reflects what you actually sent, everything is fine.
>
>I don't buy this argument.  The rules are the rules.  They say to do it a certain way.  The log checkers ONLY have the rules to apply to the logs.  If they apply a different standard, so be it.  But if that standard is not documented IN THE RULES, then it may not work tomorrow, so you can't rely on it.
>
>73 - Jim AD1C

I think you're talking about two different things here.    

1) The rules say that you shouldn't change precedence (power) during the middle of SS.   That is to encourage people not to change it if their amp breaks or they decide to turn it on/off in the middle of the contest.  It is to make it easier on the log checkers.  I doubt anyone who actually changes power in the middle has ever been DQ'd or slapped on the wrist, but it remains a reasonable answer to the question that comes up every year.

2) On the other hand, those checking logs know that they have to deal with entries from people who decided to change mid-contest anyhow.   Dealing with it means that the people they work shouldn't be unfairly penalized if the precedence changes mid-contest.   In a perfect world, the log checker would look at your QSO #1 and learn what exchange you sent, and then use that for cross checking of all the people you work.  If you change the precedence, or the section, or give out numbers not in sequence, or skip numbers, the log checker has to be sure that if there is a questionable exchange, the person logging the QSO logs what was sent during the QSO.  That means, in some cases, having to track how an entrant changes the exchange during the contest - that's what AA4LDE was saying about "unstable" exchanges.   The log checkers don't want to unfairly penalize someone if the exchange is unstable - and in some cases the checkers will come to the conclusion that it changed enough that it can't be relied upon, so may not count those cross check errors at all.

Hope that makes sense.
                                		-- Tom


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