[CQ-Contest] Re: Self Spotting in WPXCW

[Zack Widup]

On Thu, 29 May 2003 sawyered at earthlink.net wrote:

>  Guys, How many of these "hey, wait a minute, I didn't spot this guy???"
> testimonials do we need to hear before we accept there is a major
> problem here and shift to: WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
> 

This looks like a real sticky problem to me without an obvious solution
the way packetcluster software is set up.  I don't own a node so I don't know
that much about it, but I do know enough about it to be able to post a
spot using someone else's callsign.  

It seems the options are to either legalize it, ignore it, make all use of
packet in contests illegal or redesign the node software so that a station
cannot post a spot using another callsign. Given the level of security of
internet telnet connections, the last one is going to be difficult.

Otherwise, suppose I don't like station W#XYZ, so I log onto telnet node
W#ABC as W#XYZ and spot "dx 14185 W#XYZ Please work me".  The spot
comes out looking like a self-spot by W#XYZ. How is he going to prove he
didn't do it?  Can someone track me down and say I was the one that
spotted him?  How can you disqualify him for self-spotting if you can't
prove or disprove either of these things?

I guess we need omnipotent, clairvoyant contest sponsors.

73, Zack W9SZ