[CQ-Contest] XQSO and other CQWW questions

[kr2q at optimum.net]

1.	The correct way to find out the answer to a question about CQWW is to send an 
        email to Questions at cqww.com

2.	The wrong way to ask a question about CQWW (and expect an official response) is 
        to post a question on Contesting.com

3.	XQSO can be used for many reasons, not just for M/S.  

        a.   Let’s say that you are Low Power and hear an all-time new one for DXCC.  You 
             don’t want to risk not working him, so you turn on the amp and work him QRO.  
             Now you can simply flag that QSO in your log as XQSO and remain honest while 
             the DX guy still gets credit.   XQSO allows for FAIR PLAY by letting the 
             entrant retain his LP status HONESTLY.

        b.   Or maybe you get all wound up in the contest and lose sight that you've gone over 
             the band edge for your class of license.  You can now flag that contact as an 
             XQSO, acknowledging your mistake.

        c.   You are trying to make contact under difficult conditions; maybe on 160.  You 
             THINK that you made the contact, but just are not sure and you don’t get a chance
             to work him again.  This is a true dilemma (look up the definition).  If you log
             it and you didn’t make the QSO, you get a penalty.  If you did work it, but don’t
             log it (to be “safe” for you), you hurt “the other guy” who now gets a NIL.  So 
             now you simply enter it as XQSO and both parties are uninjured.

4.	XQSO is for accidents; things that are genuine mistakes.  It is EASY to work a 
        non-mult with the mult station for M/S.  This solves the dilemma. 
 
5.	XQSO’s should appear in a log only very, very rarely, if ever at all.  If a log is 
        submitted with XQSO contacts that appear at a rate that is more than “very rare,” 
        then clearly these are not “accidents” and the log may be REJECTED COMPLETELY, as is 
        permitted in the RULES.    XQSO is NOT a loophole for cheating or changing categories;
        XQSO is a contester-friendly response to addressing honest mistake or special 
        situations as cited in (3) above.

de Doug KR2Q
on behalf of the CQWWCC