[CQ-Contest] Declining assistance gracefully [was: OMG...anotherpost...]

[Paul J. Piercey]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com 
> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Ev Tupis
> Sent: December 5, 2006 03:39
> To: cq-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] Declining assistance gracefully [was: 
> OMG...anotherpost...]
> 
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: "kr2q at optonline.net"
> FINALLY.....
> As I hope is becoming obvious, the REAL SOLUTION is to never 
> offer "over the air" assistance because you are putting the 
> "other guy" in ethical trouble....geniune dilemma:  ignore it 
> and possibly lose the mult (bad) or USE it and have to CHANGE 
> CATEGORIES to assisted/unlimited
> ---------------------------
> 
> We pride ourselves on being a largely self-policing hobby.  
> Let's not be afraid to bring that same attitude to the sport 
> of radio as well...
> 
> Consider this response...
> 
> "I am entering in the unassisted category. Acting on that 
> information is not allowed,  73 and CQ Contest..."
> 
> It wouldn't take long before all of the "good Samaritans" get 
> the message.

Ev,

I'd be happy to agree with you IF this practice was specifically forbidden
in the contest rules. As they stand now, there is nothing that I can see in
the rules that comes close to prohibiting anyone from acting upon
unsolicited information. Anyone bothered by the perception of using random
information is, of course, free to voluntarily decline the info anytime.
However, I truly believe that a vast majority would not or does not
disregard it.

To expand on the subject a little... suppose you were tuning around the
band, happened upon a pileup for a station and overheard another op tell
that running station about a mult that you needed also operating a few kcs
up the band. You haven't called the running station yet or made your
presence known on that frequency. Would you then keep tuning until you came
across that mult, ignoring all other running stations until you found him?

73 -- Paul VO1HE