[CQ-Contest] self help during contest

[David Kopacz]

There is a simple answer to your question.

I've said this before, but apparently the phrase "spirit of the competition" has not fully propagated amongst the group.

The idea behind almost every contest is to see who can "correctly" contact and log the most stations (points) in the most areas (multipliers).

The idea behind contesting is NOT who can record the most stations. I don't like the idea of recording contests, nor do I like super check partial databases or other means of identifying the station worked (i.e. packet clusters, skimmers).

I don't much care for people operating SO2R being categorized with those using a single radio.

All of these "tools and techniques" take away from the "spirit of the competition", which is primarily about making a successful contact with another station and exchanging some piece of information.

On several occasions, I have tried to work a station, struggled to hear the call sign correctly and then glanced at the SCP window only to discover that I could then correctly identify the weak station calling me. It was amazing, almost magical, how I could suddenly and correctly copy the weak stations call sign.

Nothing is different with packet cluster. I have seen operators click a call on the cluster, arrive at the multipliers frequency, barely hear him and call anyway. Often, we (6Y1V) are strong enough that we actually get through even though we can only hear the DX multiplier say something like %%1V 59 2%.

Sure, we know the station is DU3EM in zone 27 because the packet cluster in conjunction with the computer told us so...but we could actually never hear the full call or exchange through the QRN, QRM, or QSB.

Is this a legitimate contact? Some will say it is. I say it is not. I think most people will log it. I won't. How can I feel right about logging a contact I could not completely hear? It reminds me of the old Africa Net I used to listen to on 21.305 with the old times giving the US operator the call sign of the DX and asking him to repeat the signal report 15 times until the US station finally guessed 2 by 2 correctly. Give me a break! Oh, that's next.

I took a long break from contesting only to return to this mess with packet, computers, databases and skimmers. To top it off, there is the "good ole boys network" trying to control everyone else.

It seems that as technology advanced, finding ways to have an edge advanced and for every edge that couldn't be verified by the sponsor, they simply allowed it.

I can't say that I like it what I see. I'm sure some of you agree. Perhaps one day someone will step up to the plate and create a new radio contest that doesn't permit all the fancy tools and technology that permit guessing and revising.

David ~ KY1V
UltraDX.com



-----Original Message-----
From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of N7DF
Sent: Sunday, December 07, 2008 12:24 PM
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [CQ-Contest] self help during contest

While most people agree that using a recording of your operation in a contest to make changes or corrections to your log after a contest is over is not acceptable practice; what is the situation if you use a recording during the contest period to review your log?  
 
In the 160 meter contest there is always the period during the day on saturday and sunday when the band is dead.  If you recorded the friday or saturday night operation you could use the recording during these periods to review your logs and correct errors.  This is inside the contest period and does not involve outside help so why should it not be permissable?
 
Since many radios and some software permit recording and playing back individual QSOs there seems to be no difference other than the time duration of the recording.
 
For that matter, why should an activity that involves only yourself not be acceptable?  In other words, why can't you record the contest operation and use your recording, after the contest is over, to check the accuracy of your log?  You are not creating new QSOs, only corrrecting ones that have already been made.
 
 
 
 


      
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