[CQ-Contest] WRTC2018 Qualifying

[Leigh S. Jones, KR6X]

Randy, 

The issue being argued here is not disparaging assisted operators, but rather official suppression of unassisted operators.  It is also official suppression of fine operators who man multioperator efforts.  

Ham radio is besieged by local governments who do an incredible job of suppressing individual ham's property rights.  We're increasingly under fire from sources of QRNN.  It's a litigant society. These days it can be incredibly difficult to assemble a halfway effective station because of all of these problems.  

There are two potential opportunities to play at this game in the face of these increasing impediments that are being officially suppressed by these rules -- multioperator and "escape from towns".  The "escape" option includes "rover" and portable operations and any frontier-like setting away from noise sources -- and coincidentally away from acceptably broadband Internet coverage.  These sorts of rules are not in the best interests of the contesting art.

Leigh S. Jones KR6X

> On Dec 2, 2014, at 07:14, Randy Thompson K5ZD <k5zd at charter.net> wrote:
> 
> We need to stop disparaging how people choose to operate.  Yes, there are different categories, but one does not mean you are a better radio operator than another.
> 
> 
> 
> I worked 5000+ QSOs in the CQWW this past weekend.  I operated in the Assisted category.  I can assure you that there was far more to accomplishing this than “point and click” skills.  Did using the Cluster help make my score higher than if I did not use it?  Yes.  Have you noticed that most new contesters look at their final score as the metric for success.  A higher score is considered “better.”
> 
> 
> 
> Anyone  who has been licensed in the past 15 years does not know ham radio DXing and contesting without the availability of the DX Cluster via the Internet.  It is as natural to them as learning CW was for those who started back in the days of the Novice license.  We all tend to favor what we first learned or grew up with.  But, that doesn’t mean those who come later have to conform to what was done before.
> 
> 
> 
> With the exception of ARRL, CQ and the Scandinavian Activity Contest, the rest of the world’s contest organizers have moved on and allow single operators to use the Cluster if they want.  It doesn’t make contesting any less fun for the participants.
> 
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> 
> Randy, K5ZD
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> 
> From: Radio K0HB [mailto:kzerohb at gmail.com] 
> Sent: Tuesday, December 02, 2014 5:00 AM
> To: k5zd at charter.net
> Cc: sawyered at earthlink.net; Stan Stockton; cq-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] WRTC2018 Qualifying
> 
> 
> 
> That is truly tragic as it favors "point and click" skills over "radioman" skills.
> 
> 
> 
> 73, de Hans, K0HB
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> 
> On Monday, Dec 1, 2014 at 21:50, Randy Thompson K5ZD <k5zd at charter.net>, wrote:
> 
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> 
> The surprise for me is that Assisted scores are compared against Unassisted. 
> This really says that if you want maximum points, you have to plan on 
> working Assisted. 
> 
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