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

[Ed Sawyer]

I think everyone agrees - being spotted helps rate.  The question is how to
balance the table on SSB vs CW due to RBN, in my opinion.  It just doesn't
seem fair to the process that some clubs actively spot each other - some
don't.  Some people turn on automatic spotting for S & P Qs, some don't.
Some callers do a sympathy spot, some just recognize a person they know or
know of, etc.  This is hardly a rare DX is the only ones getting spotted
issue.

 

What to do?

 

-          Allow self spotting?  Maybe that is the SSB equivalent of RBN.
If everyone self spots as they CQ then it becomes the instant equivalent of
RBN.  Its basically a BN instead of an RBN.

-          Allow asking for spot? This doesn't feel good to me.  Begging for
a spot for 48 hours just doesn't seem like the right approach given where CW
is.

-          Encourage people to turn on the S & P automatic spot mode?  If
this were done simply for all multi op stations it would solve the problem.
I can tell you that I am called frequently by EU M/S operations while CQing
and from looking at the spots, they are NOT all pointing and clicking to do
so.  I was never spotted on a couple of runs and worked many of them.

 

Any of the above would solve the problem in my opinion.

 

I am not an assisted guy.  But if success in any category becomes a function
of how much you are spotted as you CQ, its time to make sure that's fair for
all.

 

I appreciate your interest in the topic Randy.

 

Ed  N1UR