[CQ-Contest] Skimmers and Rules

[Pete Smith]

The big problem I can see for contest sponsors is that the statistical 
methods recently explained here, by which packet cheaters can be 
identified, will not work with Skimmer.  A log produced using SO2R and a 
Skimmer will look just like one produced by SO2R and a very good operator 
without Skimmer, so long as the Skimmer operator does not take such great 
advantage of what Skimmer can do for him that the gap becomes blatantly 
obvious.

If you want to outlaw Skimmer use by single-ops, then it seems to me that 
you'll be forced to rely on a declaration by the operator -- "wide-band 
multi-stream CW decoder technology was not used during this operation."

Maybe we should be talking about an entirely new class structure for 
single-ops -- something like "Advanced" and "Traditional".  Or maybe three 
levels - "Traditional", "Advanced" and "Unlimited".  Traditional would 
exclude Skimmer technology, Advanced would allow it but require a 
declaration that a single human operator copied the exchange and logged 
each contact claimed.  Unlimited then would be "anything goes", except that 
only one human operator was involved in any way.  Packet would then migrate 
to multi-op, I guess... or not.

73, Pete N4ZR
"If You Outlaw Skimmers, Only Outlaws Will Have Skimmers"