[CQ-Contest] if you didn't like the last one...

[Robert McGwier]

The only solution is digital signatures assigned to call
signs be required to sign in to the clusters, otherwise the
cheating that Dave has so clearly demonstrated (why anyone called
it hypothetical or innuendo I don't understand) with
substitute call signs, connections to out of area clusters,
etc. will continue to occur.  Nothing like prohibition works,
that manufacturers the inevitable Al Capone's and Medellin
cartels, so the solution is to disable cheating by forcing
identifcation to connect.  Without this, we might as well
throw up our hands and tell Dave to stop pointing it out.

I would despise the job of administering this but I see no
other real way out of the mess.

Bob
N4HY



-----Original Message-----
From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com]On Behalf Of Dennis Ponsness
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2003 1:29 PM
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] if you didn't like the last one...


I too applaud Dave for bringing this out into the open (again).  While not a
big gun like Dave and some of the others on here, I try to "play by the
rules" and have NEVER used the cluster unless I was operating SO Assisted or
Unlimited.  I agree that the problem is the "open" nature of the clusters,
and perhaps this is the area that can be addressed.  I am by no means an
expert on the inner workings of the clusters, so I would not really know
where to begin to "secure" them against self-spotting or other abuses.

The one thing that I would like to know is - have the ARRL and/or CQ ever
disqualified someone for self spotting?  I can understand that it would be
very difficult to prove, but has it happened?  IMHO, the only way that this
can be fixed is by either an almost complete rework of the cluster system
_OR_ by enforcing or changing the rules.



73

Dennis - WB0WAO

EN84ij Iosco County, Michigan

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