[CQ-Contest] Real Time Scoring and Quick Submissions

[Kevan Nason]

N4XL
"Starting at "some can't therefore we shouldn't" has stopped a lot of
projects over the years"

VE4XT
"I argued “most won’t, but we should find a way for those who want to.” "

That's the difference in a nutshell and basis for the discussion. Some
don't want to make it mandatory. Others think it is potentially very
beneficial. I'm continuing Ward's point that doing so might very well make
many ethic discussions and DQ's for cheating moot. Obviously not all, but
it looks like it could very well be a step in a positive direction to
improving contesting operating skills in particular and in general the
services provided by hams to their communities. Why not explore that
thought some more?

Let's put some particulars out. Counter with others like Heard Island. Get
the discussion going.

It seems clear you and I and several thousand other contesters have the
internet and would be able to do real time scoring and/or quickly submit
scores. I've nothing to back it up, but there is tremendous internet use
during and right after a contest so it appears many have already have the
means. Not everyone uses a logger that could do it. They probably could
though. N1MM is free. Or the capability could likely be added to those that
don't. What other reasons people couldn't (not wouldn't) do real time
scoring?

What if real time scoring wasn't real time?  Would updates every hour, two,
six, twelve suffice?

I'll give you a problem I recently solved.  I live in the country and only
wireless internet is available. Until recently I had a 5 gig limit to my
internet. It's now up to 50, but doing real time scoring and operating
assisted ate that 5 gig up pretty quickly and I sometimes paid over use
charges. I wouldn't want to have had mandatory real time scoring then. If
that was the rule though it would not have stopped me from contesting.
Maybe not everyone who had a shot at winning could afford those over usage
charges. And as you pointed out, not every location has internet by either
wired or wireless. That is a problem to try and solve.

You gave another example. The DXpedition where no internet is available.
Not sure about solution there, but Hughes net has satellite service and
Google supposedly launching balloons or something soon. That could be
included in the planning cost of the DXpedition for those expecting to
contest while there. To state the obvious, not all DXpeditions are
interested in a winning contest score though so how big a problem is that?
Assuming Heard Island wants a shot at a winning contest score, maybe the
internet just doesn't reach to Heard Island. Maybe it does. I don't know
one way or the other. Do you? Seems there is likely one or more possible
solutions out there though. A lot DXpeditions manage to find a way to get
logs out on the internet while they are doing their thing. There is likely
some way. What about HF data transfer? The proposed data rate changes by
the ARRL to the FCC may offer additional HF log data transfer opportunities
(i.e.: periodic log transfers to a U.S. or other HF station for upload).
Not sure what the current rules are for other countries. Maybe that can
already be done?

My point is I don't know everything. Absolutely no disrespect intended, but
I don't think you do either. It seems technically possible and there is
probably an administrative way to handle the exceptions. Other than the
obvious of personal choice, what reasons does the group have to saying it
simply can't be done?

Kevan
N4XL