[CQ-Contest] CQ WPX rules, it finally happened

[Ken Low]

"I think some of the software has a setting where it will automatically send a CQ after so many Q's are logged.? That would work to make it legal."

True, Win-Test has that feature, but it only helps on CW.  On Phone, the op will need to remember.

I fully agree with KK9A and VE4XT's comments on this.   Frequency of ID'ing should be governed by FCC regulations, not by the 'contest police' or a Contest Director reviewing SDR recordings.   I make decisions on how often to ID based on a handful of factors.   If I don't ID frequently enough, I fully recognize I run the risk of losing potential callers who tune by.  That's part of strategy.

To comply with a mandatory ID rule, most serious ops will just change their 'dit dit' or 'TU' F-key message to simply send their call sign instead, probably at very high speed.  Not clear to me how that makes the contest better for participants in aggregate, which should be the goal of any rule change.

I would hope that contest directors use some common sense if this rule were to become standard.  In 'Hour 34' of a 36-hour contest, it will be very easy for any sleep-deprived operator (including a world-class one) to hit the wrong 'F'-Key, violate the rule and get disqualified.   That will be very popular with an operator who just spent $3,000 and a week of his life on a DX-pedition to V47 or 8P.

Anyway, this discussion distracts from the much bigger problem of power cheating, which is far more harmful to the sport.

Ken KE3X