[CQ-Contest] When do we spot? Should it be required?

[Tom Francis]

Interesting comments Ed.

I sat this one out for various reasons but I did watch the clusters
for any DX that I maybe haven't worked or to fill in blank spots
on my 5BDXCC totals.

Just for laughs, I filtered out the K/VE spots (I use VE7CC) to watch
what was being spotted in EU land. They do spot each other a lot,
but when you consider geography, there are more countries to
work with - heck, most of the classical EU states can fit inside
the borders of the US.

It makes sense that there would be fewer US spots as we're all
basically one multiplier vs the same geographic space for the
EU holds many more multipliers. The US isn't worth as much
frankly in terms of mults - three zones, one nation

However on the other hand, Zone 14 ha_*s *__*- *_*C3* (Andorra), *CT* 
(Portugal), *
CU* (Azores Is.), *DL* (Germany), *EA* (Spain), *EA6* (Balearic Is.), 
*El* (Ireland), *
F* (France),*G* (England), *GD* (Isle of Man), *GI* (Northern Ireland), 
*GJ* (Jersey), *
GM* (Scotland), *GU* (Guernsey), *GW *(Wales), *HB *(Switzerland), *
HB0*(Liechtenstein), *LA* (Norway), *LX* (Luxembourg), *ON* (Belgium), *
OY* (Faroe Is.), *OZ* (Denmark), *PA *(Netherlands), *SM* (Sweden), *ZB* 
(Gibraltar), *
3A* (Monaco) and*4U1ITU* (ITU, Geneva).

Zone 15 - *E7(*Bosnia Herzegovina),*ES* (Estonia), *HA* (Hungary), *HV* 
(Vatican), *
I* (Italy), *IS0 *(Sardinia),*LY* (Lithuania),*OE* (Austria), *OH* 
(Finland), *OH0* (Aland Is.), *
OJ0* (Market Reef), *OK* (Czech Rep.), *OM* (Slovakia),*S5* (Slovenia), 
*SP* (Poland), *
T7* (San Marino),*TK* (Corsica), *UA2,F,K, RA2,UB2-UI2 *(Kaliningrad), 
*YL *(Latvia), *
YU *(Serbia), *ZA* (Albania), *Z3 *(Macedonia), *1A0* (SMOM), *4O 
*(Montenegro), *
9A *(Croatia), *9H *(Malta).

One country, three mults, Two Zones, 53 mults.

Makes perfect sense to see more EU spots than US.

At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Tom, W1TEF/4
Swamp Fox Contesting Group

On 10/26/2015 2:22 PM, Edward Sawyer wrote:
> Taking a look at my spots this morning.  It is very surprisng
> when you are spotted and when you are not spotted according
> to DX Summit.  Are there other locations where spots exist on
> SSB that is not shown here?  I had a number of runs during the
> contest and was never spotted according to DX Summit.  A nice
> JA run on 15M and very loud and fast 20M run to EU on Sunday
> afternoon, neither of these ever appear despite producing
> probably 400+ Qs in the log over a few hours.
>
> With CW, the RBN system is an effiient harvester of signals
> that basically instantly populates the band map with spots.
> There is no such system on SSB.
>
> The major contests call asking to be spotted a violation. Every contest,
> I either hear or am asked a few times regardless.  I am very fine
> with this being considered unsportsmanlike.  However, with the
> increasing number of contesters having a contest experience that
> is nothing more than clicking on spots, its becoming
> equally unfair for stations to be spotted in very disproportionate
> frequencies.
>
> I put this question to the contest sponsors and the assisted and
> multi-op contest community: What is your responsibilty to make
> spots of stations?  Are you just a harvester?  Or do you contribute
> to the process?  It would seem to be in everyone's interest that
> doesn't "spin the dial" much, or at all, anymore to make sure that the
> interaction is bi-lateral.
>
> Should a minimum spotting requirement be added?  We have a minimum
> ID requirement in CQ major contests?  How about a minimum
> spotting submission requirement for those using the system?
>
> I personally like the unassisted experience.  But being a "ghost"
> in the bandmap world doesn't help anyone in contesting anymore.
>
> 73
>
> Ed N1UR
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