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

[Gerry Hull]

I guess using a call with a six in it from the east coast makes you more
interesting?

We were spotted 88 times this weekend.

I'd like to think it was the loud signal and the snappy QSOs that
encouraged people to spot.  Who knows?
Will is a well-known guy -- so maybe a lot of his buddies in Europe spotted
us.  There are a lot of reasons to spot stations.

73,

Gerry, W1VE  @K6ND (MA) in CQWW SSB

On Mon, Oct 26, 2015 at 2:22 PM, Edward Sawyer <EdwardS at sbelectronics.com>
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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