[CQ-Contest] Blind Mode for N1MM Bandmap

[David Gilbert]

For assisted operating categories, N1MM can receive telnetted spots from 
DX clusters and CW Skimmer networks and display the callsigns at the 
proper frequency on the N1MM bandmaps.  It is then possible for the user 
to QSY to those spots via point/click with the mouse or via CTRL-UP/DOWN 
ARROW, which is a very useful feature when you want to step through 
identified stations to quickly look for multipliers or new contacts.

CW Skimmer has a Blind Mode option where signals are displayed and 
circles are placed in the CW Skimmer bandmap at the frequency where it 
thinks there may be a station, but no text or callsigns are displayed.  
In that mode, CW Skimmer is generally considered legal for unassisted 
operations since it performs no differently than any panadapter.  In 
Blind Mode, however, CW Skimmer will not telnet any information at all 
to N1MM (I've tried and VE3NEA confirms that it won't)).

If N1MM had a menu option to substitute telnetted callsigns (either from 
CW Skimmer or from the various clusters) with simply an asterisk placed 
at the proper frequency on the N1MM bandmap, would that conceivably be 
legal for unassisted operation?  Presumably the bandmap could still 
display the actual callsigns of those stations you work or Store from 
the main entry window ... only the telnetted callsigns would be replaced 
by the asterisk.  N1MM could even keep track of the callsigns internally 
to avoid duplicate spots ... it just wouldn't let you know what those 
callsign were.

Obviously only the various contest sponsors could strictly answer this 
question, but I'm curious what the field at large thinks.

73,
Dave   AB7E