[CQ-Contest] Station Inspections

[Hank Greeb]

Shucks, anyone can be competitive if he/she spends upwards past $50,000 
or more on a station, towers, etc., and practices his/her skill in 
various contests.

Not to mention a quiet RF location, on a high hill or overlooking salt 
water.

I agree that it's not a disconnect to compare Amateur Radio operators 
with elite amateur athletes - generally the elite spend considerable 
time and money to be at the top of the "game."  And, there's a big 
temptation in all cases to cheat.  So why should hams complain if they 
are asked to have a monitor at their station during the operation to 
make sure they are abiding by the rules?  The amateur (and professional) 
sport participants are subjected to invasive blood and/or urine tests 
for performance enhancing drugs, swimmers cry "foul" when a new swimsuit 
gives a competitor an "unfair advantage", etc.  So why the hue and cry 
if the organizer of a contest wishes to observe one's operation during a 
contest?

73 de n8xx Hg

nn4x at embarqmail.com wrote:

> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 15 Aug 2009 11:04:01 -0400
> From: Steve Sacco NN4X <nn4x at embarqmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Station Inspections
> To: KI9A at aol.com, david.kopacz at aspwebhosting.com,
> 	cq-contest at contesting.com
>
> Hi Chuck -
>
> I don't think there's any disconnect in comparing elite amateur athletes of any kind kind against elite radiosport competitors.
>
> Anyone can participate in events which would allow them to qualify for the Olympics - activities which are "solely a hobby", no?  Happy coincidence:  It's the same with Amateur Radio contesting/radiosport!  Any Ham can enter an event, and even better, can compete directly against the world-class competitors, and has the potential to win if they're good enough.
>
> Sadly, and I think this is SOOOO unfair, one must be a child to participate in the Little League World Series.  Not unexpectedly, the kids competing on the LLWS DO receive a fair amount attention regarding their credentials, background, etcetera.  On the whole, this isn't a bad thing; it helps keep the cheaters out - and there HAVE been instances of cheating.
>
> Hope you have a wonderful weekend,
>
> 73,
> Steve
> NN4X
> EL98jh