[CQ-Contest] SS Packet Posts

[W2RU - Bud Hippisley]

  J. Edward (Ed) Muns, W0YK, wrote:

>It's a waste of time
>and energy for both the spotter and also the majority of those receiving the
>spots [to include the Multiplier].  Furthermore, it is irrelevant information.
>  
>
Not to those whose primary interest in watching the cluster is attaining 
a "clean sweep".

>Assuming most operators are trying to maximize their score,
>
Not sure that's a valid assumption for "most operators [legally] 
watching the cluster".  While some percentage of the Unlimited entries 
meets your assumption, most of the casual entrants may not be 
particularly concerned about maximizing their score.  I heard a lot of 
"Unlimited" entrants on Sunday afternoon that were giving out very low 
serial numbers -- leading me to suggest that it was unimportant to them 
whether their packet cluster was on or not.

>There are undoubtedly a few operators who are not pursuing a score at all
>but only want to work a Sweep.
>
Beeeeeeeeeep!  *Few?*  Trying to get a clean sweep has been great sport 
for decades for many who are otherwise unwilling, unable, or 
uninterested in going for total score.  For instance, back before there 
was a cluster, we used to compete around Central NY in seeing who could 
work all sections with the fewest total QSOs!

I agree that one *possible* use of the cluster spots is to fill an S&P 
bandmap, but I, for one, would be more inclined to use it to find 
missing or known-to-be-rare multipliers.

Actually, I have trouble envisioning using it in a single-op environment 
for *any* purpose.  For me, the whole fun of a contest like SS is 
pulling calls (and mults) out of the ether, not the CRT.  (Although, as 
I get older and my eyes get worse, it's getting harder and harder to 
pull them out of the CRT....)

Bud, W2RU