[CQ-Contest] Blind Mode for N1MM Bandmap

[BobK8IA at aol.com]

Dave, 
 
>From a "assisted vs unassisted query", why would this be any different than 
 getting info of a stations presence from a bandscope, panadapter etc?   
You're substituting a blip on a bansdscope vs an asterisk on a bandmap.
 
Granted, with some radios it is easier to change to the proper freq via a  
bandmap, but not all.
 
Seems perfectly legal for unassisted operation to me.
 
 
73, Bob K8IA
 
 
In a message dated 10/21/2010 1:52:48 A.M. US Mountain Standard Time,  
xdavid at cis-broadband.com writes:


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