[CQ-Contest] The Difference Between Rules and Ethics

[Silver Ward]

> So offhand, I'd say that if a station offers something of little or no
real
> value, like a "worked on 6 bands" certificate, it should not be an ethical
> violation.  Let's not squeeze all the fun out of things.  Something more
> substansive, though, should be be prohibited -- in short, anything that
> gives the appearance of "buying" contacts.
>
> 73, ron wn3vaw

Of course!  I'm not suggesting that we all have to become monastic hermits
and conceal our identities with voice scramblers to submit single-op scores.

Is the certificate or QSL available to all callers?  Has the solicitation
been widely advertised?  In the case of encouraging activity, anything that
encourages others to be active and participate fairly and equally is a great
idea.  K1XM and KQ1F are well-known for their beautiful photo QSLs and many
operators make a point to contact them for "this year's" models.  But they
certainly don't say, "work only us", and the resulting activity benefits all
competitors - good for them!

The shoe can sometimes be on the other foot.  Conversely (pun intended), a
single-op with a bad reputation for QSLing can also create disincentives to
make QSOs, for example.

Here is a personal example of my own...  I was at one time considering
sponsoring a NW regional "SS Sprint" that would be a three-hour competition
for WA, OR, ID, BC, etc. stations on 40 and 80 between 9 PM and midnight.
The idea was to increase activity on the low bands by stations that
otherwise would not be active and counteract some of the advantage on those
bands enjoyed by the 1-2-3-4-5 districts.  After some consideration, it just
seemed too much like stocking the pond with local ops unlikely to work much
outside the region and I let the idea drop.  Now maybe the idea of the
three-hour nighttime category for all entrants would be a good idea.
Anyway, you get the idea - it would facilitate the making of QSOs that were
likely to be unavailable to others.

We will not all make the same determination of appropriateness in all cases.
However, the awareness that there IS an issue to be considered will improve
the sport and quality of competition.

73, Ward N0AX