[CQ-Contest] Contesting without spotting

[Tom Osborne]

Hi Mark

It used to be that way with individual spotters, but with RBN, as soon 
as that rare one calls CQ, RBN picks it up and spots it.  Then you, as 
unassisted, are competing with the assisted op's. You are both in the 
same pileup, whether assisted or not.

I agree - it used to be very exciting to be tuning the band and hear a 
'5923, but now you hear a  '5923'. then ROOOOAAAARRRRR calling them.

Can you imagine what it must sound like on the DX end :-)  73
Tom W7WHY




On 12/12/2014 7:48 AM, Mark Simms wrote:
>
> Harpole's comments resonated with me because one of the things that still
> thrills me is "discovering" a rare station calling CQ Test (often high up
> in the band on CW) that hasn't (yet) attracted a pile up. It is the
> complete serendipity that makes for the kind of reinforcement to keep
> tuning around. It seems that spotting networks spoil a lot of the fun on 2
> levels - they take away the "surprise" element and they create pileups that
> make it hard for  "little pistols" to crack in a contest situation.
>
> I think "non-spotters" should get a differential multiplier if we stick to
> that during a contest.
>
> Mark, W9MS