[CQ-Contest] Contest Cheating

[Doug Renwick]

Trying to eliminate cheating is noble.  Accomplishing that goal is close
to impossible, well today impossible.  There are just too many ways to
cheat and not get caught.

Back in the 70s I was operating in the ARRL phone DX contest.  A friend
was sitting beside me and he wanted to do the logging (it was hand
logging back then).  I said to him that the rules didn't allow it.  It
would have been very easy to spot the different handwriting by the
contest committee.

Now is this cheating?  I am operating in a phone contest and at the same
time there is a DXpedition operating cw from say Yemen that I need.  So
during a slow period I turn the packet on to check on the Yemen
DXpedition.

Doug


KI9A's suggestion to allow packet for all single op's, while not unique,
does seem to represent, so far, a minority opinion.  Perhaps if he and
the others who agree with him persist, then they will someday become the
majority and the rule will change.  (I hope not.)

Nonetheless, his rationale -- that it would eliminate packet cheating --
fails when extended to other types of cheating.  Should we eliminate QRP
and Low Power classes because we can't catch those cheaters?  How about
eliminating Single Op because we can't catch the guys who operate
together and claim SO?  Or maybe we should allow the use of
non-amateur-radio means during the contest?

---- snip ---

73, Art K3KU
 

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