[CQ-Contest] Non-Mult Assistance ???

[Bill Turner]

ORIGINAL MESSAGE:

On Tue, 05 Dec 2006 12:52:47 -0800, Eric Hilding <dx35 at hilding.com>
 wrote:

>OK...what about these scenarios that don't directly involve the "Mult" issue:
>
>1.  The de facto standard for signal reports is 5NN.  During the 160m 
>contest, I sent one person 595 because his signal sounded like crap.  Does 
>this mean I was providing "assistance" alerting him to a problem with his 
>transmitter (or most likely amplifier)?
>
>2.  If someone's audio sounds like crap during a Phone contest and I tell 
>them, am I also providing "assistance" that could improve that person's 
>score if he or she fixes the problem?
>
>3. If I hear an weak PVRC station repeatedly calling CQ during SS with no 
>answers 'cuz he's getting clobbered by a loud W5 he can't hear (but I want 
>to be an NCCC "Good Guy" and spare him additional agony of  unanswered 
>CQ's), if I tell him he's getting clobbered by a loud W5, am I providing 
>"assistance"?
>
>Hmmm.

------------ REPLY FOLLOWS ------------

Those are very interesting scenarios. In the case of 1 and 2, you are
providing "assistance" in helping him operate his equipment, so a very
strict interpretation of the rules would indeed make him "assisted". I
doubt this is what the contest sponsors had in mind, but your scenario
raises a good question.

In the case of number 3, I would say you are definitely providing
assistance. An unassisted operator is supposed to do all operating by
himself, including the choice of transmit frequencies. If you help
him, he becomes "assisted". A savvy contest operator will recognize a
streak of unanswered CQs as a possible sign of QRM he can not hear,
and will QSY. Or he should.

73, Bill W6WRT