[CQ-Contest] WW-Digi Contest -- Rule Clarification

[Gordon LaPoint]

MSHV is a program that can answer multiple FT8 calls at the same time, 
as can WSJT-X in Fox mode.
Gordon - N1MGO

On 8/6/2019 17:19 PM, David Gilbert wrote:
>
> Well, I've read the contest rules several times, and they don't 
> specifically make the same "one signal per band" limitation for single 
> op that they do for multiop.  I agree that it is assumed, but again 
> ... the rules don't specifically rule it out and we all know from past 
> experience that loopholes tend to be exploited.
>
> And I am absolutely certain that these were three separate QSOs with 
> three different stations.  I should have taken a screenshot. The 
> contacts were within the same 15 second window, with different 
> stations, and with different signal reports.  And as I said, it 
> happened again a short while later with two completely different 
> stations.  These were not images, and they were not the staggered 
> transmissions that we can do while overlapping more than one contact.
>
> I'm pretty sure you can run multiple instances of WSJT-X as long as 
> you specify different rigs for each.  If you check out 5T5PA's page at 
> QRZ.com you can clearly see that he is a pretty smart guy and that he 
> has multiple rigs.  Probably the simplest way would be to use three 
> instances of WSJT-X driving the same sound card and talking to three 
> rigs via different com ports.
>
> Regarding DXCC eligibility, what I saw did not appear to be any more 
> automated than normal FT8 contacts.  They didn't need to be. If he 
> called CQ on three different frequencies, WSJT-X handles everything 
> from that point on if he clicked the "Call 1st" box. He would still 
> have to manually enable the next CQ's, but that wouldn't be difficult 
> to quickly do three times.
>
> I think it's all kind of clever, but I wouldn't want to see it in the 
> contest.
>
> 73,
> Dave   AB7E
>
>
> On 8/6/2019 1:17 PM, Edward Sawyer wrote:
>> Dave - is this actually REALLY quickly synchronized separate 
>> transmissions to 3 different stations?  Or are there 3 simultaneous 
>> transmissions occurring at exactly the same time?  If it’s the 
>> former, its certainly serial single op worthy - I do this all the 
>> time while contesting - just not as fast as a computer.  If it’s the 
>> later, then it would be "more than one signal at a time".  That would 
>> violate current rules in all categories I believe.  Even Multi-Op 
>> stations can only have one signal at a time on a distinct band.  Of 
>> course I am assuming that a "signal" is the roughly 50hz of 
>> individual beeps and not the 3khz of computer managed bandwidth.  All 
>> definitions to be finalized with this new breed of contest category. 
>> Illustrating how non-human controlled it really is.
>>
>> Interestingly, and on a different subject, whether 5T5PA is actually 
>> compliant with the new DXCC rules making such contacts ineligible for 
>> DXCC is another topic.  I believe that the next contact cannot be 
>> made without a human engagement.  So was it semi-automatic or 
>> automatic fire?  And is that engagement needed as part of a "stack 
>> build" or real time - the initial DXCC language was not too clear.
>>
>> Ed  N1UR
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf 
>> Of David Gilbert
>> Sent: Tuesday, August 6, 2019 3:10 PM
>> To: 'CQ-Contest at contesting. com'
>> Subject: [CQ-Contest] WW-Digi Contest -- Rule Clarification
>>
>>
>> Although it is certainly implied, the rules listed on the WW-Digi 
>> website do not specifically prohibit using more than one signal at 
>> the same time ON THE SAME BAND for the single op category.  They say 
>> that transmission can only be on one band at a time, but they don't 
>> say you can't make multiple transmissions at the same time on the 
>> same band.
>>
>> The reason I bring this up is that I just witnessed 5T5PA making 
>> three separate FT8 transmissions on 20m to three different stations 
>> all within the same fifteen second window.  A short time later I saw 
>> two separate transmissions from him to two different stations (and 
>> different stations than the previous three), again all within the 
>> same fifteen second window.  Each simultaneous transmission was 
>> spaced exactly 60 Hz apart, and the software cleanly decoded all 
>> signals as if they were from different callsigns.  5T5PA expertly 
>> managed all the QSOs cleanly.
>>
>> Interestingly enough, even though I've worked 5T5PA before, JTAlert 
>> only labeled one of the three as a dupe.
>>
>> I can think of more than a couple of ways 5T5PA could be doing this, 
>> and for casual operation I see no problem with it.  For a DXpedition, 
>> it might even make a lot of sense.  I don't remember it being against 
>> FCC/other laws, but I could be wrong about that.  In any case, it 
>> seems to me that it could open up the possibility for some 
>> controversy in a contest.
>>
>> Or maybe I'm just crying wolf here ...
>>
>> 73,
>> Dave   AB7E
>>
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