[CQ-Contest] The Skimmer Rule Challenge

[VR2BrettGraham]

W5OV said:

<snip bit on ARRL rules concerning use of any kind of alerting
assistance not allowed for SOs>

>I think the WPX rules as written need to be revised to align not only with
>CQWW and ARRL but to make sense as pointed out by VR2BG recently. I cannot
>understand what the WPX Single Op rule is trying to say related to spotting:
>
>1. Single Operator (Single Band and All Band) (SINGLE-OP ALL HIGH or
>SINGLE-OP [BAND] HIGH)
>(a) One person performs all of the operating, logging, and, for the Assisted
>category only, spotting functions. Only one transmitted signal is allowed at
>any time. Maximum power allowed is 1500 watts total output.
>
>Perhaps this was simply a typo that no one caught. In the past (2004) the
>WPX rule was:
>
>1. Single Operator (Single band and All band)
>(a). Single operator stations are those at which one person performs all of
>the operating, logging and spotting functions. Only one transmitted signal
>is allowed at any time. Maximum power allowed is 1500 watts total output
>power.
>
>The way that assistance was addressed at that time also matches up with the
>CQWW and ARRL rules:
>
>(d) Assisted: Same as 1(a) except the passive use (no self spotting) of DX
>spotting nets or other forms of DX alerting is permitted. Stations in this
>category will compete with other Assisted stations only.
>
>If the WPX rules were put back the way they were (and should be), all 3 of
>the "biggies" would clearly agree that the use of *any* type of spotting
>assistance would not be permitted for single operators.

Like "packet" now apparently means "alerting assistance"
to some instead of a digital mode that provides the means
to access alerting assistance, the 2004 WPX rule change
undoubtedly mixed up "spotting" in describing the operating
function of finding stations to work with the act of providing
alerting assistance ("spotting" someone on the cluster).

What the rule now says is clear & that is that SOs cannot
S&P.  They have not been allowed to do so in WPX since
2004.  Silly, but that is what it says.

Yet at the same time, what the WPX rules say about SOs
& alerting assistance & skimming we are told is not clear,
so SOs can skim?

As Bob points out, the majors all (WPX used to) have
skimming well covered... the only challenge we have with
respect to rules - which has nothing to do with skimming -
is getting more than just a few of us to understand any of
the rules of the game to begin with.

73, VR2/KBrett7Graham/p.