[CQ-Contest] Lightning strikes N5OT

Mark Beckwith n5ot at n5ot.com
Mon Sep 1 16:29:45 EDT 2008


K0SR:
> Unless you have a very good reason to think
> otherwise, I'd assume that you'd respect my effort
> as being honest and following the rules.

Here again, Steve, I know you well enough to ask you to your face "how come 
you haven't sent in your log?"  Frankly I would do that to anyone if I was 
wondering the answer to the question.  Certainly if I didn't know the 
answer, I wouldn't be questioning their integrity.  You guys know me better 
than that.

> I don't think I should have my integrity questioned
> just because I participated in a contest and
> submitted a score.

I'm not sure I said this.  I'm thinking I did not.  I'm looking over what I 
wrote and I am certain I did not.  Certainly if you are going to be in the 
box, some people might wonder what you were made of if you waited until the 
hour before the deadline to post your score, but it would be mostly only the 
other people in the box, and certainly whomever you may displace out of the 
box.

That is a real long way from wholesale condemnation of all persons who don't 
post their numbers.  Please don't accuse me of that.

> If we assume everyone is cheating, this stops being fun right now.

We are not assuming everyone is cheating.  See above.

> I suggest that any question about the truth and accuracy
> of my log is between me, my concience, and the log
> checkers.

Um, that would be rules violations, etc?  That would be cheating.  This 
conversation is not about cheating.  It's about abuse of the de facto 
claimed scores system in ways that are not against the rules.  This is a 
fine point, but please bear this in mind.  Winning on a technicality is 
unsportsmanlike and I think it would be good to curtail it whenever 
possible.   This conversation is not about cheating.

> 3830 is something people "do" because it's fun.

It becomes more than that when it becomes the de facto claimed scores 
listing.  In my opinion and that of others who have already commented, 3830 
has become the de facto standard.  If you don't agree all I can do is try to 
convince you.

> The place to address cheating is with the contest sponsors
> and their log checkers, not 3830.

There's that "cheating" word again.  I never used it.  The problem is with 
people doing stuff that's technically legal, but inappropriate.  How do you 
address it?

Mark, N5OT 



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