[CQ-Contest] What the Skimmer said

Tue Feb 19 23:11:33 EST 2013

Tim,

Don't trap the bad calls.  In fact, how about we program Skimmer to
randomly hatch a few permuted calls each hour to flush out the "dependents"?

73, Hans, K0HB/K7

On Tuesday, February 19, 2013, Tim Duffy wrote:

> Interesting that because the callsign EE5E was getting put on the known
> "bad
> list" by many contest stations - as a frequent busted Skimmer post - EE5E
> is
> no longer using that call.
>
> It is also interesting how many guys work EK3LR and then log zone 21 (did
> they really listen to the callsign or the exchange on the air?) - in the
> CQWW CW contest. The K3LR CQWW log checking report shows all of the
> "renditions" of K3LR that were in other logs. Some are far out and
> fascinating.
>
> At least the K3LR Skimmers do not send out EK3LR to the RBN (we trap about
> 200 bad callsigns that the K3LR Skimmer thinks it heard, but we know are
> bad
> - including EE5E). We add more "renditions" as we discover them, but we
> have
> to be careful, because EE5E "was" good for many years.
>
> One more interesting thing is the number of different K3LR "like" busted
> RBN
> spots (such as EK3LR) that show up in the logs of single operator
> unassisted
> entrants. How does that happen?
>
> 73,
> Tim K3LR
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com <javascript:;>]
> On Behalf Of
> Stan Stockton
> Sent: Monday, February 18, 2013 6:08 PM
> To: n2ic at arrl.net <javascript:;>
> Cc: cq-contest at contesting.com <javascript:;>
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] ARRL Cheating in ARRL using the cluster
>
> Seems to me that a published black list should be made and used to filter
> out bad spots before they ever get to everyone's computer.  EK3LR, for
> example, should not show up on anyone's screen.
>
> On a secondary note, what causes there to be a huge number of EK3LR spots
> from all over the world and not a single EK5GO?  I sure would hate to be in
> Armenia and have been assigned EK3LR.  Yikes.
>
> Stan, K5GO
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
> On Feb 18, 2013, at 3:21 PM, Steve London <n2icarrl at gmail.com<javascript:;>>
> wrote:
>
> > I don't know what software you were using, but speaking for N1MM Logger,
> there are a number of ways to deal with this problem. In the bandmap or
> available window, you can right-click and select "Blacklist Callsign". Not
> only will this remove the callsign from your computer, but also every
> computer in the network. You can also set up and import a blacklisted calls
> file before the contest containing the most common busts, like EK3LR.
> >
> > 73,
> > Steve, N2IC
> >
> > On 02/18/2013 02:04 PM, Jim Jordan wrote:
> >> Wow! I wish NY4A could have found wherever it was you were getting your
> >> spots. We filtered out dozens of busted calls and skimmer perversions
> >> like "EK3LR", dropped leading letters, "O" for "Q" and the phenomenon
> >> reported where the spot was for, or on top of the mult, picking up the
> >> calling station as the runner, etc. And like "Whack-A-Mole" we'd delete
> >> them from the band map and a little while later the same busts were back
> >> again. All pretty annoying as M/2 trying to work them quickly and get
> >> back to the run frequency without losing it.
> >>
> >> Having said that, seeing the "instant spots" from all over coming up
> >> instead of having to wait for someone to manually post the spot made a
> >> big positive difference. I noticed it when we went to a new band or had
> >> to change frequency.
> >>
> >> 73,
> >>
> >> Jim, K4QPL @NY4A
> >>
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Pete Smith N4ZR"
> <n4zr at contesting.com <javascript:;>>
> >> To: "CQ Contest" <cq-contest at contesting.com <javascript:;>>
> >> Sent: Monday, February 18, 2013 3:04 PM
> >> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] ARRL Cheating in ARRL using the cluster
> >>
> >>
> >>> Are we talking about the same contest, Bob? No reason that the
> >>> Russians would be working 9H1s.
> >>>
> >>> Actually, I'm more interested in the busted calls you reported. It's
> >>> not that busts don't happen, because they do, but because
> >>> readily-available filtering can catch almost all of them. I was only
> >>> on for 10 hours and 1000 contacts, but they were almost all S&P. I
> >>> worked out 3 or 4 bands at a time - 0 spots waiting to be worked - and
> >>> in that time I saw exactly 1 bust that made it through to me.
> >>>
> >>> 73, Pete N4ZR
> >>> Check out the Reverse Beacon Network at
> >>> http://reversebeacon.net,
> >>> blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com.
> >>> For spots, please go to your favorite
> >>> ARC V6 or VE7CC DX cluster node.
> >>>
> >>> On 2/18/2013 12:27 PM, w5ov at w5ov.com <javascript:;> wrote:
> >>>> A lot of this seems to be the Skimmer/RBN network reporting the
> station
> >>>> the runners are working.
> >>>>
> >>>> Probably not anyone cheating in the manner you describe.
> >>>>
> >>>> I found this a LOT. (Among all the other busted calls).
> >>>>
> >>>> W5OV
> >>>> (80m @ K3LR)
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>> It seems like a couple of Russian station are cheating using the
> >>>>> cluster.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I operated AB unlimited over the weekend and was checking spots the
> >>>>> whole
> >>>>> weekend.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> As the contest progressed over the weekend semi rare mults were worth
> >>>>> QSYing to. Over a dozen times as soon as the call appeared on my
> >>>>> band map
> >>>>> I
> >>>>> QSYed to it only to UT0U merrily CQing away. (There I named a call!)
> >>>>> Another U station did the same thing but I forgot to get his call.
> The
> >>>>> calls
> >>>>> spotted were semi-rare mults like (9H1 etc), but rare enough to
> >>>>> attract a
> >>>>> crowd. Once would be a coincidence, but it happened many times. Every
> >>>>> time
> >>>>> there was no hint of the station spotted. Pure out and out cheating!
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Did anyone else see that behavior? The only way to stop this crap is
> to
> >>>>> put pressure on them.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Bill K4XS
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> _______________________________________________
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> >>>>> CQ-Contest at contesting.com <javascript:;>
> >>>>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
> >>>>>
> >>>> _______________________________________________
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> >>>>
> >>>
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> >>
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> >>
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-- 
73, de Hans, K0HB
"Just a boy and his radio"
--
Sea stories at --------> http://K0HB.wordpress.com
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