[CQ-Contest] Idea for re-defining categories - long

Sat Apr 9 11:54:56 EDT 2016

Duane,

You have done a good job below, but you have missed maybe the most
important point.
The electronic submission at the present-The Cabrillo system-and it is a
system- contains no multiplier information.
THEIR multiplier info is supplied by the contest sponsor and applied to the
contact information (the call letters) you supply-THUS IT IS ASSISTED.  And
often incorrect.  AND THEY WON'T CORRECT ANYTHING.
Any score you and your computer logging program might create is not ever
used by the sponsor.

AND THEY HAVE NO INTEREST IN CORRECTING ANY ERRORS THEY MAKE IN SEVERAL
DIFFERENT AREAS, NOT JUST MULTIPLIER AREAS.

I was nationally competitive in ARRL DX contests (from KY) at one time and
contested for over 50 years before Cabrillo. And there was computer logging
and electronic submission before Cabrillo.  Cabrillo (and the sponsors)
runined my hobby and I don't contest anymore.

In case you haven't noticed contesters are second class citizens as
compared to DXers (where everything is handled very well).

Yes, I have talked to many at ARRL and CQ and they do nothing.

Pass this along to others.

73

Paul  N4XM

At 02:56 PM 4/9/2016 +0000, you wrote:
>Perhaps it is time for contest sponsors to rethink contest categories in
general based on a yet another recent lengthy thread about assisted vs
non-assisted.. They continue to insist upon trying to lump wholly within
the station skimmers and other computing process heavy types of
technologies as being the same thing as DX spotting networks and other
EXTERNAL to the station derived band condition and Q making information
technologies. They are not even close to being the same thing.
>
>I don't buy the argument that the "end result is essentially the same, so
they are the same", nope not at all. That argument goes on to say that it
is because the technology does the signal "decoding for the operator", well
truth is, so so does everything else about the radios we use. Until someone
can stick PL-259 in their ear and decode the signals coming down the
feedline without a radio, then everything EVERYTHING else about our radios
can considered "assistance" by that same logic too. Where to draw that line
really is arbitrary.
>
>There is a really simple "test" to figure out if a station is assisted or
not. And that is - would the station be able to continue operate
identically for finding and working Q's if the big switch is pulled to turn
off the entire Internet (and DX clusters of all descriptions) completely?
ASSISTED stations would not be able to continue operating in the same way
if the Internet went away. A non assisted station would continue to operate
exactly the same way, and not lose any Q making capability at all. It
really is that simple for how to decide what is assisted vs. what is not.
>
>The one and only thing that I think can be held constant, or even should
be tried to be held constant over time regarding station technology, is
that all information used to find and make Q's in the contest must come
down the feedlines of the antennas used in the competition, AND that it ALL
fit inside the station's defined location / circle. Trying to draw
arbitrary lines between one type of technology vs. another as long as it is
wholly contained inside the station is just plain futile. If skimmers are
too disruptive, then why aren't narrow roofing filters, the narrow roofing
filters certainly do provide a big edge. And why not also exclude scopes
like found on Icoms for the last 20+ years, they too provide plenty info
about Q's to be made. Or what about computer logging, CW/voice keyers,
super check partial logging lists etc.?? Then there's the silliness about
running skimmer in waterfall only mode being OK, well I can tell you right
now with just a little practice it is v
> isually very easy to see what signal is a CQ and which is not, just by
looking at the visual traits of the traces left on the waterfall screen.
And you can even copy slow speed CW by reading the dots and dashes if you
want to.
>
>You would think that a technology like "wholly WITHIN the station
location" skimmers, or similar technologies would be applauded for at least
partially obsoleting the completely non amateur RADIO paths of Q making
information that the Internet based DX spotting and clusters all are, but
nope.
>
>So with the above in mind here's my rough idea for how categories (and
overlays) should be defined (multi-op categories would follow a similar
pattern):
>
>Single Op CLASSIC (category for those who like to think they are just "a
boy and his radio" - essentially freezes station technology circa 1985):
>1 RX.
>1 TX.
>Only scopes that display spectrum information such as panadpaters and
waterfalls, but ones that do not decode signals in any fashion.
>No signal content decoders of any kind, all QSO content information must
be achieved by aural means.
>No DX spotting networks, packet clusters, DX repeaters, i.e outside
assistance.
>No station Internet, phone, etc. connectivity of any kind.
>No propagation prediction, or other current propagation condition
reporting tools etc. of any kind be used during the contest period.
>Allow logging software and/or stand alone CW memory keyers / voice keyers.
>No remotely controlled stations.
>Allow / encourage computer logging and electronic log submission (because
no contest sponsor in their right mind would want to discourage computer
logs!).
>Allow antenna switching and pointing control via logging software.
>No other automation.
>
>OVERLAY Category - NO SCOPES: No spectrum or waterfall type scopes of any
kind, or any technology that provides any spectrum visualization.
>
>
>
>Single Op UNASSISTED (draws the line between assistance and non assistance
where it should be, i.e. external to the station Q making information vs.
entirely from within the station itself sourced Q making information, the
actual technology makeup used within the station itself is irrelevant):
>No RX restrictions.
>1 TX.
>No DX spotting networks, packet clusters, DX repeaters, etc. i.e outside
of the station sources of Q making information..
>No station Internet connectivity of any kind.
>No propagation prediction, or other current propagation condition
reporting tools etc. of any kind be used during the contest period.
>Allow the use of ANY other technology, including visual displays of any
type, and including skimmers, or other decoding technologies, etc. AND
which MUST BE ENTIRELY contained within the station's defined location /
circle, AND also that use ONLY the antennas and feedlines for the bands
used within the competition to extract information from.
>Allow antenna switching and pointing control via logging software, or by
any other, but entirely local to the station's location technological means.
>REQUIRED that the human operator makes the DECISION, and then take the
PHYSICAL ACTION to TX and work each and every QSO that the station logs.
>No remote station operation allowed.
>No restrictions on CW keyers / voice keyers.
>REQUIRE computer logging and electronic log submission.
>
>OVERLAY Category - AUTOMATED: If any QSO is made using the station's
technology without the operator having to first decide, and then initiate
the individual contact by physical means, then it is considered an
AUTOMATED QSO, and therefore the station MUST then enter with an AUTOMATED
category overlay.
>
>
>
>Single Op ASSISTED (pretty much anything goes except fully automated Qs):
>No RX restrictions.
>1 TX.
>Allow DX clusters, phone calls, local repeaters, or anything else that can
provide Q alerting assistance by using any means that may be both internal
and external to the station's location.
>No restrictions on Internet connectivity.
>Allow the use of propagation prediction, or any other propagation
condition reporting tools during the contest period.
>No restrictions on CW keyers / voice keyers.
>Allow antenna switching and pointing control via logging software, or any
other technology means.
>No automated QSOs, the operator is required to make the DECISION, and then
take PHYSICAL ACTION to TX and work each and every QSO that the station logs.
>REQUIRE computer logging and electronic log submission.
>
>OVERLAY category - REMOTE: Remote station operation is allowed provided
that the remote link is just a "long mic, speaker, control, and display
lead". So therefore ALL RX/TX on the bands used within the competition MUST
take place ENTIRELY from the remotely controlled station's location (circle).
>
>
>These categories are designed to allow those who want minimal station
technology to have a category. Those who don't want arbitrary restrictions
placed on the technology used entirely within the station, and who want
nothing to do with getting Q making info by parallel paths of
communications fed into the station. And finally, these categories also
accommodate those who want to run fully remote or fully automated
configurations.
>
>Duane
>N9DG
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