[CQ-Contest] Discrimination Against single-Op Assisted

[Barry Merrill, W5GN]

We agree.  I had sent this earlier today and was going to await
a reply by "contest at arrl.org" before posting, but since we are
so coherent, here's my take on the same problem:


From: w5gn at mxg.com
To: contest at arrl.org

Subject: IARU HF Championship Rules "Inhale Quickly" - Request for ARRL Awards Committee to change rules


The stated purpose of this contest is:

"To contact as many other amateurs, especially IARU member society HQ stations,
around the world as possible using the 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meter bands."

The implementation of rules for packet use PRECLUDE me from maximizing the
number of contacts I can make with other contest stations who are RUNning.

My goal is rarely to win, or even go for a high score, since WINNING is ONLY
possible for stations that spend significant time RUNNING, and most stations
that enter do not have the location/antennas/power to run, or, like myself,
they prefer the slower pace of using Packet to "Search&Pounce", rather than
run, and I've proven I can nearly double my QSO rate when S&P by using
packet information. It's not so much to find stations by seeing their spots;
I rarely actually click on spots that are not multipliers. The MAIN benefit of packet is NOT to ME and my score, but, rather, to
those RUN stations who GET 
those extra QSOs I can provide during a band opening, by seeing the callsign
of stations I've already worked as I tune across a hearable signal, which
minimizes my wasted listening time, as soon as I recognize that the heard
signal matches the callsign, and so I can move on to the next signal I can hear.

But I would like to have a score comparison, but that's not possible with
IARU if you want to LEGALLY use packet:

The rules require packet use to be classified as Multi-Single, but there is 
ONLY ONE Multi-Single category, and it lumps all three power levels, QRP,
Low Power and High Power, and all three modes, MIXED, SSB, and CW, and adds
in those stations with actual multiple human operators into this single
category for scoring and awards.

In my (unproven) opinion, this can ONLY cause a lot of stations to lie and 
use packet but submit as Single Operator, since there is NO FAIR PLAY 
comparison for stations who ONLY want to use packet and/or want to operate
only one mode and/or with less than HIGH power, or want a real comparison 
with other stations with multiple operators.

Even worse, at least for this past weekend's pseudo-WRTC testing, the IARU MS category requires a ten minute stay after ANY band
change; this was a REAL bummer when the first three WRTC stations I called asked ME to move (presumably so they could compare their
antennas on the two bands with the same station, and to test
the actual path conditions at that time of day), but my choice to use Packet precluded me from making the REQUESTED band change - my
violation of the ten
minute rule would have moved my log from the "LUMPED" comparison MS category 
to the "UNSCORED" CHECKLOG, with no feedback of my errors nor score correction.

The IARU Rules state:
"12.2. Each entrant agrees to be bound by the provisions of this announcement, by the regulations of his/her licensing authority,
and by the decisions of the ARRL Awards Committee, acting for the IARU International Secretariat."

>From this, I read that, unlike ARRL Contests, in which the ARRL Awards Committee
can only RECOMMEND to the ARRL Board of Directors for Contest changes, that the IARU Rules are completely set by the DECISION of the
ARRL Awards Committee, when forwarded to and approved by just the IARU Secretariat.

I am thus requesting the ARRL Awards Committee, acting on behalf of IARU,
to change the IARU HF Championship Rules to define the additional ASSISTED categories for Single Operator stations, and especially
to remove the 10 minute
rule for Multi-Single stations.

The Multi-Single category needs to be more consistent with the stated goal of this
contest, and with the classification of packet use for other contests that recognize
that Single Operator and Single Operator Assisted are separate.

The simplest change would be to just score awards in the MS category for the "Assisted" or "Unlimited" Single Operators, when only
one operator is listed
in the log submission, to match the awards for "TRUE" Single Operator categories,
by Mode and Power. That change could be easily done administratively for this year's
scoring and awards.

Stations that actually have multiple operators (and not HQ stations) SHOULD be grouped in the existing Multi-Single category to be
consistent with prior IARU
Multi-Single awards and comparisons.

I can see NO value in the ten minute rule for the IARU Multi-Single class, 
because that rule exists only in other contests where there is a separate
Multi-Multi category and there, the 10 minute rule is used there to prevent 
an MS station from effectively being MM.



73

Barry EI/W5GN  


P.S. Will you forward this request to the Awards Committee on my behalf,
     or do I need to look up all of their email addresses and send direct?