[CQ-Contest] Did I cheat in NAQP CW?

[Ron Notarius W3WN]

Slippery slopes?

So OK, let's say WX3QRM (Single Op Non Assisted) is calling "CQ Contest
looking for VE8 or VY1"

A fellow contester, WX3QSY, decides to call WX3QRM to tell him "Hey, VY1JA
is up 15 and 59+, clear shot!"

5 minutes later, WX3QRM works VY1JA up 5.

Now... did he hear WX3QSY and act on the information?  Ignore him and find J
after giving up the frequency to S&P?  Never heard him in the first place,
because of propagation or QRM or a hundred other factors?

Better yet, now we have someone checking a Skimmer log to "prove" that
WX3QRM HAD to have heard WX3QSY, just had to... because the Skimmer heard
it, or there was a packet post, or it was casually mentioned by a passer-by
in an on-line log's comments.

Congratulations!  You've just created enough reasonable doubt to convict
WX3QRM of "cheating" & of creating enough peer pressure to get him to
"vacate" his win, even though you haven't actually proved it.

Slippery slope indeed.

We're quickly approaching the day where I'm going to have to invite K3AIR
over during a contest, not because he's an experienced contester & a great
operator (which he is), but so that as my lawyer, he can advise me of how to
properly operate within the letter of the law when things like this come up.


No thanks.

-----Original Message-----
From: cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of W0MU Mike Fatchett
Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 11:55 AM
To: 'CQ Contest'
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Did I cheat in NAQP CW?

What concerns me is why are these instances not published or discussed more
openly for the rest of the community?  It appears from my chair that this
type of information is only shared with a select group.  In the statement
below how could someone know that this happened for sure?  Did the winner
rat himself out?  Are there recordings of this?  If so, that person should
vacate their win just like in College.  Remote skimmer stations might shed
some interesting light on some of these things at least on CW.  

Did W1XXXX call for VE8/VY1 hoping to work a station there or hoping that
someone would wander by and tell him where one might be?

In this case the winner/loser acted on the information which means he
accepted the assistance of others and submitted a log for a class that he
did not qualify for.  

I know K1AR has been written a number of articles about the slippery slopes
in contesting.  I am sure that it has been touched on in QST and NCJ as well
and even at Dayton.    

Could we be doing more to further educate folks on these issues?  Are these
things discussed at contest meetings prior to the contest season starting?

If more people knew that W1XXXX did these things maybe myself and others
would be less inclined to work them in the future if their shady activities
were not curtailed.  That would send a very clear message, would it not.

I can recall in my younger years in radio that people asked all the time Hey
have you heard this zone, this country, this section.  It seemed the
friendly thing to do and was never given another thought.  In those days, I
was under the impression like another who posted that information gained
from the airwaves was ok.  I do not have that impression or opinion now.
Why the difference?  Is contesting evolving or am I just becoming more wise
or a combination of both.

We selectively called for mults from time to time from V47 during the ARRL
DX contests.  More so on 160 as we needed to get in works as many mults and
qso's as possible and get out.  That was in the 80's and 160 was not nearly
as good as it has been lately.    


Mike W0MU

------------------------------------------------

> One thing that seems to me to be a reality check here: an operator who 
> feels the need to call selective CQs isn't going to win. Chances are, 
> such an op isn't really even going to be competitive, particularly in 
> SS, with so few multipliers.

Bzzzzt. A well-known, multi-year SS winner did exactly this a few years ago,
looking for a VE8/VY1. It took about 2 minutes before one of his
cheerleaders told him where to find VY1. He QSY'd, easily worked the VY1,
and went back to running. He won SS.

73,
Steve, N2IC
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