[CQ-Contest] When is a QSO not a QSO?

[Gerry Hull]

On 3/20/07, Paul O'Kane <pokane at ei5di.com> wrote:
>
> Was "Remote Site Contesting Rules - Getting out of hand".
>
> > --- "Paul J. Piercey" <p.piercey at nl.rogers.com> wrote:
>
> > My point is that when I make contact with a station,
> > even in a contest, it's the operator that I am working,
> > not the equipment.
>
> Paul is right. Amateur radio, and contesting in particular,
> is a point-to-point (single-point to single-point), person-
> to-person, solely-RF-based technology.
>
> Any deviation from this, regardless of how much fun or
> how convenient or how technically advanced it may be,
> serves only to dilute the achievement of completing the
> QSO.  Repeater QSOs are an example of "dilution".
>
> With sufficient dilution we are eventually reduced to the
> level of EchoLink, Skype and cellphones - all great fun,
> all highly technically advanced, but not amateur radio.
>
> > --- "Ken Alexander" <k.alexander at rogers.com> wrote:
>
> > Sorry, no sale Paul.  If I had a ham friend in KH6 who
> > let me operate his station remotely . . . At the end of
> > the contest, if you'd worked me you would have worked KH6,
> > not VE3.
>
> Ken is right in that Paul would have worked KH6.  But,
> ultimately, he is wrong because it's not a valid amateur
> radio QSO - it's a step towards EchoLink or Skype.
>
> There's a fundamental issue here - at what stage does a
> "QSO" become something else?  I suggest, for contesting
> purposes, it's when the operator(s), and all equipment
> and antennas, are not physically located within a circle
> of 500 metres diameter.
>
> 73,
> Paul EI5DI
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>

The problem is all contests CURRENTLY allow this type of QSO!

If you are so opposed to the concept, and you found out post-contest that
your KH6 QSO was from a remotely-controlled station, would you remove the
KH6 QSO/multiplier from your log?

I think not.

73,
-- 
Gerry, W1VE/VE1RM
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