[CQ-Contest] Rules, debates, and other annual occurances

[Bob Naumann - N5NJ]

The recent recurring debates seem to be focused on a couple of key points of contention.

1) Some feel that you can't have a rule that can't be enforced
2) Some feel that packet should not be restricted for single ops - regradless of entry category
3) Some feel that packet is the worst thing that could have happened to contesting

I don't buy into any of these perspectives.

1) Given that what we do, by definition, relies on personal integrity and following the rules without on-site enforcement, radio contest rules should not be defined by whether or not they can or could be enforced by the contest sponsor.  The point is that they define appropriate behavior in the contest for the individual operator(s) to enforce on themselves.  In my opinion, this is a foundational premise.

2) This argument is something that I cannot understand.  Anyone who thinks packet does not change what a single op does/can do is ignoring reality.

3) Packet, as has been eloquently recalled here by others, is a natural extension of the "spotting nets" and the like that were common in more densely populated areas.  Packet has levelled the playing field for all multi-ops in this respect.

Regarding #3; at a station I used to operate from on occasion, K2GL/N2AA, we used to "eaves-drop" on both the FRC and YCCC spotting networks.  

We had almost as much aluminum up for 2 meters as we had for 20.  We had two 2 meter FM radios connected to large arrays pointed towards those two targets.  They were set up feeding one set of headphones so one operator could listen to both.(SO2R?)  Sometimes it appeared that the FRC detected that we were listening, and they would go to simplex and not use their repeater.  It didn't matter as we could hear them direct anyway.

We also had low power 2m FM handie-talkies wired into some of the HF headsets.  When something was spotted, the 2m operator would grab his HT and announce on our shack "network" something like "15 meters, 15 meters 4U1UN 21298 4U1UN 21298".  Some of the bands did not have this integrated hookup, so handwritten spot notes were manually distributed to them - or sometimes, there was even some spirited yelling.

As log sheets were completed on each band, they were collected, and the new multipliers identified.  A master multiplier sheet was updated showing which multipliers were still needed for each band.  The 2m operator would not announce mults we already had.  Copies of the master mult sheet were periodically distributed to the operators of each band, using a small copy machine that was in the shack.  This was to facilitate passing of multipliers.  

Yes - there was a lot of paper.

Of course, all of that happened before computers, so it's ancient history.  But, the point is: what packet enables/does, what computers enable/do, etc. are not new.  It's just the medium, and how efficient it is.

73,
N5NJ