[CQ-Contest] Log checking with mismatched bands

[Tree]

On Wed, Jan 06, 2010 at 11:53:08PM -0600, Robert Chudek - K0RC wrote:

> Tree, I would argue the other side of this. Sweepstakes is supposedly a 
> contest of skill and accuracy. If an operator can't log the correct band, 
> this would fly in the face of that basic parameter of SS.

I guess I would say that all contests are a contest of skill and accuracy.

> Regarding figuring out who's log is correct and who's isn't, I would think 
> a little judicious programming could determine the answer. One log or the 
> other is going to have a lot of band mismatches with other QSO's around the 
> time of the questionable contact. This should be simple to spot if both 
> stations are single transmitter. It might be a little more difficult if 
> they are both multi transmitter stations, but I wouldn't think it would be 
> impossible. Of course this is easy for me to say, being a back-seat 
> programmer that doesn't have to "make it so"!

:-)  I think from a practical stand point, this case doesn't happen often
enough to lose much sleep over.  It's a fun one to talk about in thoery.
Log checking isn't a perfect science.  At some point, you have to realize
there are going to be cases that you can't really do much about (like when
someone just forgets to log a QSO).  I have focused my energy on finding
systemic issues with a log where it has an impact to a large number of 
scores, instead of one off cases like this.  If a guy logs twenty QSOs on
the wrong band - I will detect that and end up ignoring cross checking for
the whole log.

> David, I would challenge the other station who "blew it off" by checking 
> off the *Not in log* button in eQSL. The challenge would be to compare his 
> outgoing and incoming QSL boxes to see where others said he was operating 
> at the time. Of course he might no care, and that's a different situation 
> altogether.

I would never want to open up the log checking process to having to deal 
with QSLing in any form.  That would be a huge mess!!

Tree