[CQ-Contest] Self Spotting

[Stephen Bloom]

Hey all:

 

I mostly stay out of the rules change discussions here except for the
occasional snark, but I have been thinking about this one a bit.  I know it
has been discussed before but, I am wondering if there is some level of self
spotting for SSB contests that most would find acceptable, and would be
feasible for the various rule committees.  For CW and Digital, most of us
are now used to skimmer/cluster spotting.  I think most like it, some don't,
but it's part of the landscape now even for those who themselves operate
unassisted.  For SSB as an example, it is extremely frustrating to *know*
that say, 10M is open to somewhere, yet it is impossible to get anything
going there, since the odds of several of us checking it out at the exact
same time at this point in the sunspot cycle is low.  I don't know exactly
what rules would work (self spot only so often?), but it seems that allowing
it would raise the overall fun level, without changing the basic
architecture and strategy.  Thoughts?

 

73

Steve KL7SB