[CQ-Contest] Mountains & Molehills

[Ron Notarius WN3VAW]

The recently resurfaced controversy over uploading logs is interesting, to
say the least.  After mulling over a lot of the comments, I've come to these
conclusions:

(1)    Those who wish to cheat will find a way (or think they found a way &
get caught) regardless of the rules and the level of available technology.
(2)    Those who won't cheat will maintain their own level of honesty even
when presented with an opportunity to do so and (presumably) not get caught.
(3)    Those who are tempted will look at the odds, in one form or another,
and then judge whether or not it's worth the risk.  Regardless, again, of
the rules & level of available technology.

(I'm sure that someone can come up with more variations on the themes, but
you get the drift)

There is, sadly, little we can do about Situation 1.  Fortunately, most of
us are (or would like to think we are -- you never know until temptation
happens to you) in Situation 2.

And then we come to Situation 3, and that's what's probably generating the
controversy.  Will someone cross check their log against an on-line resource
(be it LotW, eQSL, DXpedition web pages, etc.) to try and confirm or deny
dubious contacts?  There will always be some who will.  And as applications
become more advanced and technology continues to evolve, it will become
easier & easier to try and do so.

SO... what's the answer?  I'm not sure that there is a good one.  For right
now, I'd suggest that we assume most people are basically honest and not
worry about it.  It would be nice if you could request that contesters avoid
uploading their logs to the various on-line services until after the contest
entry deadline (be it a month or 10 minutes) has passed, but I don't know if
there is any good way to enforce this.

But keep in mind that there will always be someone who can find a way, or
try to find a way, to massage the log and the system -- ie, cheat, whether
in defiance of the letter or the spirit of the rules.  Now you can either
try to nail down every possible instance (and make the rules so long,
tedious, and boring that the casual op won't bother with them, so what's the
point?) or simply right a general clause to try and cover unusual situations
and deal with them as and if they come up.

In short, let's not make a mountain out of a molehill.

73, ron wn3vaw

"People hear what they want to hear,
And Disregard the Rest..."
"The Boxer," Simon & Garfunkel, 1970