[CQ-Contest] Preview of CQWW Rules 2015

[Ed Sawyer]

A few points on the rules discussion:

 

People really have the SCP jumbled  - incorrectly - with assistance.  SCP is
a database of calls that have entered a log in the contest.  That's all.
When YOU as the operator, start typing in letters to form a callsign, you
start seeing possible combinations appearing that are helpful for YOU, the
operator, to make a decision as to whether you are hearing one of the
options in front of you or not.  SCP in no way "provides the callsign".  In
fact, as anyone who has competitively contested and used SCP as a tool
knows, it is often wrong for you to not trust your ears for a unique not on
the database vs change it to a close one.  Skimmer, RBN, packet spots, and
cluster literally provide you with the call.  SCP provides you with 40,000
calls.  Its up to you to decide if the signal you are hearing is even one of
those calls.  If the rules committees want to kill database tools, fine, but
just say database tools are not allowed and be done with it.

 

Why would there be any debate that a CW decoder used for any purpose
(competitively, skill set enhancement, or due to disability) is not
assistance.  Of course it is.  And its not discriminatory to someone
actually needing it nor to newbies needing code enhancement to say "we have
provided a class for you to compete in - enjoy".  How is that any different
than providing cluster and RBN spots to stations that need this assistance
to keep their interest up?  "enjoy".

 

There is a big difference between single radio limited time and equipment
"boy and his radio" vs those of that enjoy top level competitive contesting
without having spots feed to us by machines and operators all over the
world.  Classic is a great boy and his radio category.  It's a shame that
people are allowed to "win it" that are not actually restricted from other
categories.  I don't think that was the intent.  

 

One last point, it would be interesting to see whether a clean top scoring
operation would even require the attention of the reviewers at the end of
the day.  I have a difficult time seeing it possible to do many of the
things TO7A was flagged at all, without cheating.  There are great baselines
out there of winning operations that are very closely mirrored by numerous
other operators producing very similar patterns and results.  Look at the
logs, its obvious.  It would seem to me that a performance that is within
those competitive lines, barring some other reason for suspicion, would be
just accepted as reasonable.  It's the logs that fit a cheating pattern and
that produce results way outside the norms of past winners that will, and
should, require a next level of scrutiny.  If you plan to submit one of
those logs, looks like you better be ready to defend yourself.  And that
isn't a bad thing, in my opinion.

 

73

 

Ed  N1UR