[CQ-Contest] CQWWDX origin of SO-Assisted

[kr2q at optonline.net]

Hi all:

This is to the best of my recollection.  YMMV.

In the beginning (gosh, sounds deep)....there was Single-OP, Multi-Single, and M/M.

During the mid-1980's, Packet started gaining momentum and there was consternation 
about how to treat it.  Was it single-op or mult-op?  For a time, there was not quite 
consensus that it was the same as multi-op and that is how entrants were expected 
to enter.  But the entrants didn't really agree.

So what was happening was that we were forcing the entrants to "cheat" (cuz they 
were using packet but entering single-op).  As I recall, it was K1AR who pushed the 
issue by using packet and then submitting his log as M/M (even though he was the 
only op).  His logic was that M/S had a 10-minute rule, which he had violated, so his 
only recourse was to enter M/M.  We all thought that made it obvious that we really 
needed a new category. 

So in a room at Dayton, a bunch of us agreed to agreed to create the SO-A category.  
I don't remember who "named" it (that name was not my choice), but I'm thinking it 
was K1DG (again, I could be wrong).  There was a vote and SO-A stuck.  SO-A became 
a category of entry in 1989 (at least according to the CQWW Contest Handbook, 
1994 Edition).  I sure don't remember the year myself, but I'm confident the book has it 
right.

This won't solve anything being debated here, but I thought the history might be interesting.

de Doug KR2Q