[CQ-Contest] NAQP CW + Skimmer

[Aldewey at aol.com]

The intent of the current rule is that multi-channel band decoders , such  
as CW Skimmer, are allowed as long as they do NOT connect to any external  
source.  For example, you are not allowed to connect to a TELNET address  the 
publishes spots from Remote Skimmers.
 
However, if the multi-channel band decoder is totally contained within the  
station, it is allowed.
 
If someone can suggest a way to state that more simply, in one to two  
sentences without a lot of legalize, please respond off the reflector.
 
73,
 
Al, K0AD
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 12/23/2010 11:58:19 A.M. Central Standard Time,  
K1TTT at ARRL.NET writes:

>  Although NCJ does not have an official "Contest Committee", issues  
related
> to the NCJ contests are discussed among all the NCJ contest  managers.
> Often, input is solicited from others also. Final decisions  rest with the
> Contest Manager for each of the 6 contests we  sponsor.  For the Sprints,
> it  was
> obvious that the  allowing the use of multi-channel band decoders made no
> sense because  of the QSY rule.  It really came down to being an issue for
> the  CW NAQP.  We decided to allow it in the Single Operator Class as  
long
> as
> there was no connection via the internet or any other  outside source.   
In
> 2009, the NAQP rule was changed to  state:

So you DO intend to allow wide band decoding and generating of  spotting
information by CW Skimmer and Skimmer Server??   

"Access to spotting information obtained directly or indirectly from  any
source other than the station operator, such as from other stations  or
automated tools, is prohibited,"

since CW Skimmer in its wideband  decoding mode automatically generates
'spotting information' I would  consider this first statement to exclude 
that
use of the CW Skimmer or  Skimmer Server software.

"except as follows: Technological methods of  copying information in the
contest exchange (e.g. CW Skimmer, code readers,  etc.) are permitted as 
long
as all components are entirely contained within  the station."

Since this qualifies use of technology as being for  'copying information in
the contest exchange' I consider this, in the CW  Skimmer usage, to be the
narrow band audio only decoding of a single qso at  a time.  This is
reinforced by lumping it in with 'code readers' which  in general do not
generate spotting information and only allow copying a  single audio stream
at a time.

Perhaps the lack of complaint was  because participants took the more
conservative reading and assumed that NO  sources of spotting information
were allowed, which included the wide band  decoding and spotting modes of
the CW Skimmer.

David Robbins  K1TTT
e-mail: mailto:k1ttt at arrl.net
web:  http://www.k1ttt.net
AR-Cluster node: 145.69MHz or  telnet://dxc.k1ttt.net




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