[CQ-Contest] K6LA Gentlemen's Agreement idea

[Mark Beckwith]

> "Gentlemen's Agreement = Lead Balloon."
> Other than Tree's response, I received one direct response
> supporting the Gentlemen's Agreement from a Sweepstakes
> Top Ten Box competitor.

Sorry Ken, been lurking until the pileup died down.  [cq-contest] has 
certainly been busy lately.

I don't mean to sound elitist, but my comments may come off as such.  Sorry 
in advance.

There is a double standard that is not necessarily bad.  Guys who get on who 
are not contending for anything should be able to get their sweep and their 
mug and enjoy themselves.  If they feel they need to call a directional CQ 
to get Manitoba, that's fine.  Telling them they can't do what they want 
just means they won't get in the contest.  We need them.

I think, though, as has been said many times lately, that the guys going for 
the top (whether top ten, or top in their section) should hold themselves to 
a higher standard, and play by rules that make sense and are fair, 
regardless of how far short the printed rules of the contest fall in 
defining basic things like "assistance."  It has long been understood by 
most that the printed rules fall short of clearing up all questions about 
what's right and wrong.  Yet when queried, most prefer one page of rules to 
one hundred pages of rules.

Ideally guys in the top-ten box who think it's okay to soak loopholes should 
get no respect from anyone.

"Gentleman" has always been the ham's middle name.  I think it's okay for 
there to be a Gentlemen's Agreement.  I think your 5-point Gentlemen's 
Agreement is about right - can't find anything wrong with it, actually, 
except that you didn't mention items 6 and 7:

6. I will turn my log in within 7 days even though technically I have a 
month and the deadline is ludicrously unenforced so really I can turn it in 
whenever I feel like it and I'm not held accountable for my 
irresponsibility.

7. I will not massage my log, even though it doesn't say I can't in the 
rules.

Oh well.  One step at a time.

73 - Mark, N5OT