[CQ-Contest] Non-assisted & Assisted

[Pete Smith N4ZR]

There's another dimension of this that should be understood and factored 
in.  Many people operate in "our" contests on a totally casual basis.  
Typically, they do this to increase their country totals for DXCC, or 
states for WAS, or some other award, or simply for the thrill of working 
rare DX  They may make a few QSOs, over an hour or two.

The overwhelming majority of these "grazers" use DX cluster spots to 
increase the return on whatever time they spend in any given contest.  
What we should want to do is to encourage these folks to convert from 
"grazing" to competing, spending more time in our contests, making many 
more QSOs, and helping us continue to grow.

A lot of these same people, I submit, are also attracted to the hobby by 
technology, and particularly by computers and the Internet.  Look at the 
stats for assisted versus unassistedentries in digital contests, where 
manysuch tech enthusiasts tend to congregate.

So what does this have to do with the topic?  I believe that if we 
structure our contests either to exclude assisted participants, or to 
unfairly penalize them (by making them enter as multi-single, for 
example), then we risk turning off the very people we need as the next 
generation's active contesters.  Same thing goes for thoughtless public 
condemnation of assisted operating.  Surely there's room for both, and a 
free choice to be made.

I am *not* advocating merging of the single op categories, simply that 
we not discriminate against (and turn off) potential converts to our cause.

-- 

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.