[CQ-Contest] Stew Perry no packet

[Ron Notarius W3WN]

So, no problem Mike.

If you want to monitor a packet cluster while operating in the contest, go
for it!  That's what I did last night.

Of course, this does mean that you have to submit a check log, not a
competitive log, as per the rules.  But that's the price you pay.

I enjoyed the few hours I had last night (well, early this morning) in the
Stew.  Wish I'd had more time, but some family matters intervened.  So it
goes.  

And -- just to be clear, and not to appear to sound critical, but I wouldn't
want my choices and my decisions on how I choose to operate this fun little
contest, and it is a lot of fun, to impact on future updates to the rules.
In other words, just because I have chosen to monitor the cluster, for my
own reasons, does not mean or imply that I want an SO/A category in the
future.  

73, ron w3wn


-----Original Message-----
From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of
W0MU Mike Fatchett
Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2016 12:41 PM
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Stew Perry no packet

I jumped into the Stew Perry last night.  SO low power.  I did fine  241
contacts and whatever points.  I have to say that what I missed about not
having packet is a sense of the contest going on around me.  I was a
participant but I was in my own world, not the world of the contest.

With packet you can see what is opening up, who is where, changes in the
band, you can learn and for me I have a more visual sense of the contest.
Many people are much more visual learners or visual people while others can
learn more from their ears.  I must fall into the visual side of things.

I admit I had some good runs a number of times.  When things started to slow
down I found my interest in the contest waning. Before the pacific opened to
KH6 and beyond I packed it in.  It was not that fun any more.  
I seriously considered using packet to stay active, instead I went to bed.
If I had chosen packet I probably would have stayed on and made more
contacts which would have been good for everyone.

Unfortunately, this contest also dumps SO packet into a class with multiops.
Their contest their rules.  Would more people get on for contests if packet
was embraced more?  Are we at a point in contest where we don't want more
participants or should we try to get more people into the contest.  More
people to work for me is always a good thing.  I don't know about you but I
get real tired of the cq machine and slow rates.  I have no way to know if I
am working someone who found me using packet or not and I don't care.  I am
glad that someone found me and wanted to work me.

I have received a number of emails off the list because people are afraid
that they might get blasted or even blacklisted by their fellow contester
hams because they share a different view. Is this really what contesting has
become?  Is so, shame on all of us.  There are people that agree with me
that are afraid to post on what should be an open forum to discuss
contesting.  I also wondered myself if I was shooting myself in the foot and
people are not working me because they don't like me or what I write.
Yesterday I worked one of the NPOTA stations and he recognized my call and
said he had read my posts on the reflector and thanked me for my comments.

For what it is worth.

W0MU


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