[CQ-Contest] YM, OM and the rest of the pack

[jukka.klemola at nokia.com]

Agreed.
A YL sang nearly like this:
I am not a YM, not yet an OM !
That is kind-of my status.


I would like to say CQ is on the radio.
And only on the radio and nothing but on the radio..
or how does it go properly in English?
*I do not see a possibility any contest organisation
would accept internet QSOs or internet CQs in the
contest rules.


Means for finding QSOs can be done in several ways
already now.
And rules permit many ways.

Like many know, watching the computer screen and operating
the radio is very difficult.
Like all know, spots are not always truthful and so time
is sometimes wasted on an untruthful spot.
Like all know, two radios need a lot of training.


Anyway, my bottom line is contests have rules.
Playing by the rules is ethical.


I have not seen a public DQ but seemingly we are getting
closer to such a situation.


One issue is missing on the rules:
transmitting spectral purity.

I really hate when a 135 watt FT1000MP ruins the
whole band, or a 1800+ watt AL1200.
1dB more on own freq, 50dB more throughout the band..


I am personally not really worried about power limits
but the spectral purity is an issue we should start
to be more worried about.

3dB increase in the power makes those guys just look
stupid as they cannot hear any better than the rest
of the hams with similar antennas.


If there is a station with clearly spread-spectrum signal,
international contest sponsors could notify the station
during the contest and declare the station DQ if the spectrum
will not get better.


I have a Finnish-domestic solution to this:

We have domestic contests in Finland, like most other
nations have, too.
I was the organiser for the latest one and I wrote in the
rules I will not work but I will listen through the contest
and notify stations of not playing by the book.


In the contest there was one call out of band on 40, 
I answered his CQ just on the band edge asking what his
freq dial shows and he returned to right freq.
Two stations had bad (=25+kHz wide) output on SSB and
those stations were notified of the situstion but they
said there was nothing they can do about it in the contest.

In July we will have a domestic contest meeting.
My agenda as domestic HF Contest Director is simple:
I will ask the audience what is the right thing to do.

I believe the answer is if the stations have not fixed their
signal in the next one, DQ.


73,
Jukka OH6LI