[CQ-Contest] Increasing the Number of Workable Stations

[jimk8mr at aol.com]

I overlooked another relevant rule that needs to be looked at:

General Rules:
   
   - 3.3.  An operator may not use more than one call sign from any given location during the contest period. (Sandwiched in between is rule 3.4 which has no bearing here)

These two rules also appear to have another unintended consequence:  remote stations.   As I read things, a remote station, rental or otherwise, could not be used with more than one callsign during a given contest.  Not an issue for the major contests where somebody rents a remote superstation for an entire contest, but it will matter for causal operators who would just like to get on for a while and add to the workable stations on the air.

This rule also needs to go.


73  -  Jim   K8MR


-----Original Message-----
From: K8MR via CQ-Contest <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Tue, Oct 27, 2020 10:12 pm
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Increasing the Number of Workable Stations



This point brings up again another ARRL contest rule that has long outlived its usefulness:

General Rules

  
  - 3.5.A transmitter used to contact one or more stations may not be subsequently used under any other call during the contest period, except for family stations where more than one call has been issued, and then only if the second call sign is used by a different operator. (The intent of this rule is to accommodate family members who must share a rig and to prohibit manufactured or artificial contacts.)



As best I can remember this rule goes back to the days of paper logs when serious log checking for "manufactured or artificial" contacts was not practical. But why not let there be more workable stations, even if some of them are the same person using the same transmitter? For years I've done CW SS by visiting several other stations for six hours or so.  The Sunday rates keep getting better, and I've never heard of anybody who thought a contact with me from those stations was "artificial". But why make it necessary to spend time driving to other stations, and to make other people fit with my schedule and vice versa, etc.?

CQ does not have such a rule for their contests. I've had great time in their 160 meter contests firing up on the second night with a new callsign. Great rates, and most of the people worked are people I've worked the first night, who would have not had that extra QSO under the ARRL rule.

If there are to be "artificial" contacts, it will much more likely involve somebody who is not seriously in the contest, or somebody who is not going to submit a log for those QSOs. But if necessary there could be some limits on second callsign usage, such as minimum off times before returning to use a previously used callsign. 


I urge the Board of Directors to ask the Contest Advisory Committee to look into this rule change.



73  -  Jim   K8MR


And I hope to get on for CW SS with two or more callsigns, with different radios, from different locations in WCF.




-----Original Message-----
From: Barry W2UP <w2up.co at gmail.com>
Sent: Tue, Oct 27, 2020 7:42 pm
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] ARRL DX Contest Multioperator Station Guidelines

Jim makes good points.  By aggregating a number of single ops into a new
multi category under one callsign, you're cutting down the number of
workable stations.  It just doesn't make sense.  Why create something for
which there was no demand?

Barry W2UP