[CQ-Contest] Merging Social Media and Contesting

Sun Mar 15 22:13:41 EDT 2020

The event in question that started this thread happened in an ARRL contest.  That puts the onus on them to sort it out.

Contest rules can only be changed once per year in advance of each contest.  There is a balance between keeping things consistent while also adapting to the changing times.

The ARRL and CQ contests have very different processes and people involved in the rule change decision making.  I am not sure how ARRL goes about rule changes since it seems like only the BoD can make a change and the CAC only works on things they are asked to handle.  The CQ WW committee is a relatively small group of very active contesters who make suggestions to the CQWW Director (now K1AR).  It can turn pretty fast.

There would be advantages to having some alignment in the definition of terms and in rules.  For example, ARRL calls it unlimited and CQ calls it assisted.  No wonder people are confused!

It also doesn't help that ARRL divides their rules across many documents that don't always align.  The CQ WW rules are all in one place on one page (with translation into multiple languages).

Things change when there is a need to change. It can take time.  In the case of ARRL, it also takes finding out who can actually make a decision on contest rules.  It is NOT the CAC.  Thus the suggestion to contact the Board member for your Division.

Randy K5ZD

-----Original Message-----
From: CQ-Contest <cq-contest-bounces+k5zd=charter.net at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Stan Zawrotny
Sent: Sunday, March 15, 2020 1:32 PM
To: rjairam at gmail.com
Cc: Edward Sawyer <EdwardS at sbelectronics.com>; CQ Contest <cq-contest at contesting.com>; Sterling Mann <kawfey at gmail.com>; donovanf at starpower.net
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Merging Social Media and Contesting

Ria,

I am a member of the ARRL Contesting group and am waiting for this incident to be discussed there.

My question was "Are the sponsors listening?" It would seem to be to their benefit to be monitoring this forum since it is the most active of the contesting forums.

I'll repeat what I said in the quoted email:

*… taking this up with your ARRL regional representation is short-sided.
They don't manage all contests. I think this forum is the right place for the discussion, but only if all the sponsors are listening.*

I simply questioned whether they are listening. I didn't accuse them of not. But, so far, there hasn't been any inkling that they are aware of the incident. In an ideal world, they would all be holding this same discussion in their own private forum. There have been several suggestions that they need to get their heads together and come up with a consistent, coherent, modern day model of contesting rules.

Stan, K4SBZ

On Sat, Mar 14, 2020 at 9:41 AM rjairam at gmail.com <rjairam at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Stan
>
> ARRL has its own contesting reflector on groups.io and several of us 
> monitor it. Contacting your director or CAC representative will get 
> the discussion going. The CAC monitors the group discussion.
>
> https://groups.arrl.org/g/ARRL-Contesting
>
> WWROF is involved in CQ contests and they’ll probably be a good 
> resource for them:
> https://wwrof.org/contact/
>
>
>
> 73
> Ria
> N2RJ
>
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 14, 2020 at 8:55 AM Stan Zawrotny <k4sbz.stan at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> I agree with Peter that the sponsors of the major contests now need 
>> to get together and hammer out some new rules/categories. Not just 
>> for this current situation, but with a better eye on leveling the playing field(s).
>>
>> This should include the overlays used by some contests for sub-categories.
>> For instance, the overlay for tri-banders and wires. I have only wire 
>> antennas and I just cannot manage to rotate any of them like a tri-bander.
>> Those trees are just too heavy to move.
>>
>> BTW, taking this up with your ARRL regional representation is short-sided.
>> They don't manage all contests. I think this forum is the right place 
>> for the discussion, but only if all the sponsors are listening.
>>
>> Are they?
>> ___________________
>> Stan Zawrotny, K4SBZ
>>
>> Real radio bounces off the sky.
>>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Mar 13, 2020 at 12:56 PM <contesting at w2irt.net> wrote:
>>
>> > Ed has it 100% right here. I'm good with innovation, but don't you 
>> > dare pretend to compete with folks who are keeping within both the 
>> > letter and spirit of the rules. I would strongly support the 
>> > addition of an unlimited/anything-goes class for such innovators 
>> > and let them compete against each other. But to allow these new 
>> > technologies to compete with traditional contest stations is a travesty in my book.
>> >
>> > Personally, I would like to see the contest committees from both CQ 
>> > and ARRL sit down, along with perhaps the WWROF, and hammer out a 
>> > new regulatory framework for the major DX contests, taking modern 
>> > technologies into account. Redefine the categories and what level 
>> > of assistance is
>> permitted
>> > in each; everything from a boy and his radio to full social media 
>> > interaction.
>> >
>> > The bottom line is that I want to compete on a level playing field. 
>> > I
>> won't
>> > be top-10 world in my lifetime, but I might be in the top-10 US and 
>> > I'm regularly top-5 in my division, section, or call area in the 
>> > assisted category, either SOAB-A/HP or M/S HP. My only assistance 
>> > is the
>> traditional
>> > telnet cluster and perhaps one day my own on-site skimmer. No 
>> > remoting
>> of
>> > any kind, etc. I'll happily compete with folks using similar
>> technologies
>> > but if you lump me in with high-end remote stations using social 
>> > media
>> then
>> > my interest will wane.
>> >
>> > ---------------------------------------------
>> > GO FRC!
>> > Peter, W2IRT
>> >
>> > www.facebook.com/W2IRT
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: CQ-Contest <cq-contest-bounces+contesting=
>> w2irt.net at contesting.com>
>> > On
>> > Behalf Of Edward Sawyer
>> > Sent: Friday, March 13, 2020 6:37 AM
>> > To: Sterling Mann <kawfey at gmail.com>; donovanf at starpower.net
>> > Cc: cq-contest at contesting.com
>> > Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Merging Social Media and Contesting
>> >
>> > Sterling.  If you read through your own email, you have validated
>> basically
>> > all of Frank's violation list and then said well its all still okay.
>> Its
>> > not okay.
>> >
>> > And Ray does have responsibility for what is happening on his chat 
>> > bar
>> of
>> > his live stream.  He can shit it off because it can't be controlled
>> within
>> > the rules.  But that would defeat the point of the social media
>> interaction
>> > wouldn't it.  And that the point.  Contesting is not social media
>> gaming.
>> > If some people want to promote in as "demo stations" like Ray is 
>> > doing, wonderful.  But its either a checklog or its a new category.
>> >
>> > Ed  N1UR
>> >
>> >
>> > _______________________________________________
>> > CQ-Contest mailing list
>> > CQ-Contest at contesting.com
>> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
>> >
>> _______________________________________________
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>> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
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>>
>
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