[CQ-Contest] Contesting using remote stations

[Bill Parry]

I have always felt like using a remote station was somewhere just outside
what I considered fair. I have had the experience of owning a home that was
not conducive to having a good antenna or running power.

Once I got a letter from the FCC with a copy of a complaint from a neighbor
down the street on Saturday of the CQWW CW test.  This fellow said that I
was disrupting everything electrical in his home including his "electric
toothbrush." The Engineer-in Charge in Houston asked me to try to make piece
with this nut.  I, of course, tried and failed.  It takes a lot of the fun
out of the contest when you are wondering if some guy is going to show up at
the door and molest your children or something.

I built another station out in the country. I bought a 12x24 foot portable
building and put up a 90 foot tower in an area that bothered no one. It cost
me some bucks and it was about 6 miles over to the station. Had I had the
option to operate remotely I feel like I might be arguing the other side of
this issue!

I am very sympathetic to this problem. Although I don't particularly care
for the rule, I think that we should not punish the folks if they live in an
environment that precludes them from having some fun in the contest.

However, my real concern has always been stations that use one or more
remote receiving sites in addition to their home station.  This is clearly
not within the rules. Remote receiving sites eliminate much of the time lag
that is the drawback in fully remoted stations. We all know that hearing
stations is a very important part of contesting. Frankly, I would be
surprised if this isn't already happening. If so how do we stop it? Make
another rule?

Bill, W5VX  

-----Original Message-----
From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Joe Subich, W4TV
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 10:58 AM
To: 'Michael Coslo'; 'cq-contest reflector'
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Contesting using remote stations


> Exactly what are the "unfair" advantages of a remote station? It  
> seems to me that there might be some significant *disadvantages* to  
> remote contest operation.

The "unfair" advantages are: 1) the ability to build antennas that 
that would not be available in normal residential areas, 2) the 
ability to operate from geographically advantaged locations (e.g., 
rare zone, country, section) without being a resident or travel, 
3) the ability (although not legally) to use multiple receive 
locations. 

Equipment without an operator is not a "station."  Similarly, an 
operator without equipment is not a "station"  When the rules say 
that all parts of the station must be within a 500 meter circle, 
that should include the operator. 
 



> -----Original Message-----
> From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com 
> [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Michael Coslo
> Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 9:02 AM
> To: cq-contest reflector
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Contesting using remote stations
> 
> 
> 
> On Mar 16, 2008, at 12:12 AM, Eric Hilding wrote:
> 
> > Bob, K0RC, wrote:
> >
> >> So what's the consensus? Remote stations can't participate in
> >> contesting? If
> >> that's the ultimate decision, I need to start selling my  
> >> equipment, now,
> >> while it still has some value.
> >
> > If remote stations are banned, I'm also out of here - I'd sell $25K
> > worth of stuff collected so far for a remote site operation vs.  
> > losing $400K+ in value drop if I had to sell my house in a  
> > depressed market to move out of this heavily CC&R'd County before  
> > the sunspot cycle ramps up.
> 
> Exactly what are the "unfair" advantages of a remote station? It  
> seems to me that there might be some significant *disadvantages* to  
> remote contest operation.
> 
> 
> 
> -73 de Mike N3LI -
> 
> 
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