[CQ-Contest] Packet Cheerleaders

[Bob Naumann]

WN3VAW said:
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There is no way to determine if the Packet Cheerleaders have been organizedin advance by the station(s) in question, or if they just decided to do it on their own without the knowledge of the station(s).
(SNIP)
The core problem is that ethics can not be enforced... that is, I can not force you to be ethical (after all, you and I might well differ on what is and isn't ethical behavior on some hair-splitting points).  You can write the rules as much as possible to encourage ethical and legal behavior, but there will always be those who choose to do as they please.

<de N5NJ: Precisely my point.  If the rules don't state clearly what is ethical behavior, it's open to interpretation.  If someone chooses to go against the published definition, then it becomes an enforcement issue. >

Packet Cheerleading should be discouraged, and I applaud K1TTT et al for bringing to light some of the... well, if not unethical or questionable, certainly odd or unusual operating behaviors.  But before we start assessing penalities, let's be sure we understand the problem and make sure we apply those penalities to the right station.

<de N5NJ: No one has suggested penalties yet - although I think that if it is shown that a station has an extraordinary amount of cheerleading from his home club, or based on K1TTT analysis, those who attempt to hide the fact that they are from his home club or region, the contest sponsors should look into it.

In the case of a single op, reclassification as a multi-op would be appropriate.  Whether or not they choose to apply the geography rules and then DQ the multi-op, that's another thread.>

Just imagine... two M/M stations battling it out from the same region, tight race, tight scores.  Wouldn't it be terrible if someones associated with M/M 1 decided to cheerlead M/M 2 just to try and get them DQ'd?  (You think that couldn't happen?  The way some of us have a "win at any cost" mentality? )

<de N5NJ: Again, let's define what is appropriate and what is not, so that there is no room for interpretation.  Your hypothetical of cheerleading sabotage could be included as unethical use of packet also.

73,
N5NJ