[CQ-Contest] What I want for Christmas

[Eric Hilding]

Mike, N3LI, responded to Jim, N6TJ’s ‘Christmas Wish List’ post:

 

Ø  How about each station having to purchase and use a recording device that
records time on/time off, band changes, output power, and any other

Ø  possible cheat mechanism on a NIST certified and sealed "black box"
attached to all needed points at a station.?

Ø

This assumes all the “needed points” would, in fact, would actually get
connected.  The concept of such a widget incorporating many of the
‘CheaterWare’ logging program suggestions I made would really only need to
be purchased/utilized by those seeking the big Wall Candy &
Top-Of-The-Charts listings in the results.  Considering that many of the
stations being used for such purposes involve $50K, $100K (or more)
investments in hardware, a few hundred bucks one-time purchase cost would be
peanuts.  

 

Ø  Your vision of future contesting is quite chilling, Jim. Is a guilty
until proven innocent system, and it doesn't address one of the 

Ø  most important aspects of contesting, in that it is supposed to be fun.
As such, it is quite regressive.

 

I disagree.  I’m sure the losers in the Major League Baseball Board room
probably discussed the steroid ‘cheating’ problem many years ago, but  took
no proactive steps in hopes that it would just ‘go away’.  Recent history
has demonstrated that most things do not simply ‘go away’, but rather get
worse when ‘stuff’ finally hits the fan.  Enron also comes to mind.

 

It wouldn’t seem to be much ‘Fun’ for a person to try and enjoy watching a
new release DVD on a state of the art home-theatre system, if the sounds of
nasty roof rats could be heard.  So it’s similarly hard to envision the
honest, serious guys like Jim and others really having ‘Fun’ in seeking top
contest honors with the knowledge that some Contest Cheater-Rats are
unscrupulously nawing away.

 

I personally find Jim’s ‘Christmas Wish List’ PROgressive, not regressive.

 

73


 

Rick, K6VVA