[CQ-Contest] Suggestion to solve category hopping

[James M. Galm, W8WTS]

Hi Ken, 

Responses:
1. Make sure that you have the class, power, calls, overlays, etc. set
correctly before the contest starts.  If you feel the need to change these
during the contest, so be it, but at 0000Z you are what you are.  
2. You make a good point, but an easy one to solve.  Tell the logging
software developers to add a feature that automatically makes a Cabrillo
file and emails it at 0000Z.  You could operate on and off all weekend and
have fun whenever convenient.  Leave the software running and it will make
your entry for you at 0000Z regardless of whether you are there or not.
Computers are great for automating dull, repetitive tasks; let the computer
do the work so you can concentrate on the important things.  
3. Improve the contest robot so that it allows only one submission per
entry.  I am sure that you were joking when you said that you altered your
log after the end of the contest before submitting it.  

Thanks and 73, 

Jim, W8WTS.  


From: Ken Widelitz [mailto:widelitz at gte.net] 
Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2015 2:43 PM
To: 'James M. Galm, W8WTS' <jim at w8wts.com>; cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: RE: [CQ-Contest] Suggestion to solve category hopping

Hi Jim,

Requiring a submission within 10 minutes, or even a few hours, after the
contest is not a good idea for a few reasons:

1. The operator is tired at the end of the contest and there is more
likelihood that there will be errors, not in the log itself, but in
submitting class, power, calls, overlays, etc. 
2. Many times you finish your operating time well before the end of the
contest and walk away, eat, go to sleep, etc. Even if I work right until the
end of the contest, when it is over, I quickly walk away from the radios.
I'm beat, done, finished. I don't want to think about the contest for a
little while at least.
3. The contest robot allows changes to be made to the log. For instance, in
the recent CQWW CW, the robot indicated I had some RSTs that weren't 3
digits. Apparently, I tabbed into the RST field by mistake and hit the space
bar. I don't think it is wrong to correct RST so there are the proper number
of digits.

73, Ken, K6LA / VY2TT