[CQ-Contest] Cheerleading

[Pete Smith]

I think that N6WIN's stats are correct, as far as they go, but Barry 
also makes a good point.  Certainly, the "user experience" on SS Sundays 
(and for big multi-ops, in all the major contests) needs improvement.  
There are some tools already out there.  AR Cluster 6 beta, for example, 
has a clever filter called UNIQUES>[number] which will only pass a call 
if it has been heard by at least number+1 Skimmers.  Normally, that 
filter is placed outside any filtering of spots by place of origin, but 
it could just as well be placed behind the origin filter.  That would 
then require that at least 3 of the 7 Skimmers in my area hear the spot 
the same way.

Right now, the ARC6 filter's window is 10 minutes - that is, any spot 
heard in that period is compared to all others.  There's a fairly high 
risk that over 10 minutes, a given callsign might be busted in the same 
way by multiple Skimmers, and sneak through.  If the window were reduced 
to say, 15 seconds, that would go a long way toward reducing the number 
of busts that make it through.  We may look at implementing something 
like that on the RBN server, but there may be even better ideas out 
there.  Anyone?

73, Pete N4ZR

The World Contest Station Database, updated daily at www.conteststations.com
The Reverse Beacon Network at http://reversebeacon.net, blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com,
spots at telnet.reversebeacon.net, port 7000 AND now
at arcluster.reversebeacon.net port 7000



On 11/8/2011 2:22 PM, Barry N1EU wrote:
> I'm not buying the statistical analysis.  Let's say the bandmap has a
> 10-minute timeout setting.  Any number of correct spots of a given
> station is one unique data point on the band map.  Every single unique
> wrong spot is also a data point on the band map.  So even if there are
> 50 correct spots of a station in that time period, a single bad spot
> means at least a 50% error rate on that bandmap.
>
> Barry N1EU
>
> On Tue, Nov 8, 2011 at 8:03 AM, Timothy Coker<n6win73 at gmail.com>  wrote:
>> Maybe Pete can chime in on this as to why your estimate is so high. My
>> experience has been a MUCH smaller rate of busted calls from the skimmers.
>>
>> Let's see, on 11/6/11 my callsign was spotted the following times in error
>> by skimmers worldwide:
>>
>> I6WIN (1)
>> N6WEN (3)
>> N6WI (1)
>> N5WIN (3)
>> N5WEB (1)
>>
>> All of these errors, save one, were from skimmers in other continents.
>>
>> Conversely, my callsign was spotted 1,000 times correctly as N6WIN by
>> skimmers world wide. You may check my data for verification here:
>>
>> http://reversebeacon.net/raw_data/dl.php?f=20111106
>>
>> I do believe that I will keep the skimmers turned on in my shack when it is
>> appropriate for my entry classification. Nothing is perfect... but a .8%
>> error rate is pretty close in my books.
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Tim / N6WIN.
>> On Mon, Nov 7, 2011 at 3:18 PM, Barry<w2up at comcast.net>  wrote:
>>
>>> The skimmers suck.  In SS, I'd estimate 50% busted calls and this is
>>> perfect, computer sent CW.
>>> Barry W2UP
>>>
>>> On 11/7/2011 9:53 AM, W0MU Mike Fatchett wrote:
>>>> Which contest?  Examples?
>>>>
>>>> In CW who cares.  There are enough skimmers to find nearly anyone
>>>> operating on any band.
>>>>
>>>> Mike W0MU
>>>>
>>>> J6M CQ WW DX CW Contest 2011
>>>> J6/W0MU November 21 - December 1 2011
>>>> W0MU-1 CC Cluster w0mu.net
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On 11/6/2011 7:00 AM, Telegraphy.com wrote:
>>>>> I've been watching DX Summit and see many instances where US stations
>>> are spotting other US stations
>>>>> on a selective basis during Sweepstakes.  This is obviously nothing
>>> more than cheerleading and in my
>>>>> opinion totally unnecessary and frankly unfair.   What's wrong with
>>> those who are doing the spotting are
>>>>> they oblivious or just plain stupid?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Tony
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>                            Tony Rogozinski
>>>>> Amateur Radio W4OI - W4AMR - HK1AR - HK1AR/4
>>>>>                LICENSED FOR OVER 54 YEARS
>>>>>             EX-N7BG, K5LMJ, K4KES, WA6BOU,
>>>>>           W6JPC W7HZF, F7BK, VP5AR, VQ9AR,
>>>>>              OJ0/N7BG, CN2BG, 5V7BG, TY5AR
>>>>>              9G5AR, TU/N7BG, ZC4BG, HK3KAV
>>>>>                    HK0/HK1AR and many others
>>>>>                       I've been to 103 Countries
>>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>>> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
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>>> --
>>>
>>> Barry Kutner, W2UP             Lakewood, CO
>>>
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