[CQ-Contest] Need for Rules and Enforcement Governing Commercial Entities Competing in Amateur Radio Contests

[Paul O'Kane]

On 15/03/2020 16:36, donovanf at starpower.net W3LPL wrote:

 > If you're passionate about the future of amateur radio contesting -- 
as I know
 > you are -- this is an excellent time to contact your ARRL Director and
 > your CAC member and to energize your contest club in helping sustain
 > the competitiveness of amateur contesters in an environment where
 > we find increasing participation by commercial for-profit entities.

As W3LPL says, in some respects the "amateur" went out of amateur radio 
almost 100 years ago.  It appears to have continued to this day.

How can there be fairness in contesting when relevant contest rules are 
imprecise or non-existent?  At present, contesting is largely 
unregulated, and there will always be others with more money, more time, 
more resources, more real estate, quieter/higher/better locations to 
take advantage of the lack or regulation.  With appropriate rules, 
commercial for-profit entities would be subject to the same constraints 
as everyone else.

We have limits on power, but on little else.  There are generally -

    no limits on antennas, whether transmitting or receiving - in terms 
of size, numbers (by band), elements, or height
    no limits on expenditure
    no practical limits on station size (and remote operation, over any 
distance, seems to be accepted)
    no limits on amplifiers - it must be nice to have dedicated amps for 
each band
    no limits on the number (or locations) of operators, whether MS or MM
    no limits on the number of receivers, even for SO, - including those 
with separate panadaptors for each band
    few practical limits on integration with, or dependence on, 
non-amateur communications modes and communications technologies

It seems to me that the necessary and timely regulation and drafting of 
rules will be beyond the capabilities of ARRL and its committees.  I 
could be wrong.  Perhaps it's something the WWROF might address?  
https://wwrof.org/    And, if not WWROF, who?

 From its website:

"... no organization exists that is focused on radio operating across 
all bands and modes.

Until now, many of the elements of modern radio contest operating such 
as log-checking software, log-submission robots, etc., have been 
developed and supported by volunteers. Many of the enhancements 
envisioned for the future will involve considerable expense, and no 
organization exists to support them.

The *World Wide Radio Operators Foundation* was created to fill that need."

73,
Paul EI5DI