[CQ-Contest] Keep it to yourself: The only consistent method

[steve.root at culligan4water.com]

I think you can draw a distinction between information gleaned from "non-radio" sources versus "radio" sources, and when you did it. If DURING THE CONTEST you are getting information from some place other than the radio in front of you, you're probably breaking the rules. That would include Packet, the Internet, the telephone, or a buddy of yours walkng into the shack. If you learn something about the operating habits of rare multipliers, read a DX bulletin, or exchange e-mail with someone BEFORE the contest I don't have a problem with that.

If you get information that helps you in the contest by OPERATING YOUR RADIO then as far as I'm concerned it's OK. As others have pointed out, you are being "assisted" by everyone who answers your CQ. If I tune across KT0R and hear him running JA's then he is "assisting" me with propagation information. If I hear a pileup everyone in that pileup is assisting me with the information that a rare multiplier is under there somewhere. And it's no big deal because I was OPERATING MY RADIO. Isn't that what we're supposed to be doing?????

If you decide to ask where NNY or NT is you're going to lose rate (Like Kellay said) so you're probably going to come up short anyway. If it worked, everyone would be doing it. If you have an ethical problem asking for mutipliers or acting on that information then do what you feel is right. Tree is right, it's probably best not to ask. 

73 Steve K0SR