[CQ-Contest] Assisted or not assisted question (yet again)

[wyc]

The traffic on this question posed lots of opinions responsive to Igor’s
question.  But a better answer might be: When in doubt, see what the rule
says.

The rule doesn’t say “operating assistance is prohibited.”  (N1MM sends my
CW, it tells me where to point my antenna, and (with supercheck partial) it
alerts me to possible errors in call signs I copy.)

For the WPX contest, what the rule says is that single ops are prohibited
from using “any technology or outside method that provides call sign and
frequency information regarding any other station to the operator."  (Rule
IV(e).)

This "any other station" language allows spot checking for your own
station.  (Your own station is the one station that is excluded by this
"any *other* station" language.)

Kudos to the WPX committee for writing a rule that is clear.  (“Assistance”
rules in many other contests lack such clarity.  Note that the CQ WW
assistance rule is different than the CQ WPX rule quoted above.)

Folks can (and should) debate whether the policy effected by the rule is a
good one.  But there’s no debate about what the rule is.

(The 500m “one operation” site rule IV(f) is inapt to Igor’s question.  It
applies to all contestants.  If rule IV(f) were construed to prevent Igor
from spot-checking his own call, such construction would similarly prevent
spot-checking by assisted stations.)

/Bill, K2PO