[CQ-Contest] The 2021 Unassisted Challenge

[Jim Brown]

I think your position on this depends almost entirely on how you are 
able to contest. My friend Jeff has for many years operated CQWWCW with 
K4BAI from a fine station in PJ4, where two stations can run the entire 
contest and a third search for mults with the benefit of the cluster. 
John and Jeff have often placed at or near the top in the contest.

At home, both of us, and K4BAI, operate from far less favored locations, 
and with modest but decent stations. We can't run through most contests. 
I'm usually part of an NCCC team, so I'll run high power assisted if 
contest rules permit. Even if I'm not part of a team, and if the rules 
permit, I'll probably use the cluster because for me, it's more fun. And 
for DX contests, whose scoring rules make west coast participants not 
really in the contest, I'll often run QRP using the cluster to see what 
I can work.

73, Jim K9YC

On 3/13/2021 11:48 AM, Martin, LU5DX wrote:
> You are totally wrong Jeff.
> Operating using the DX Cluster takes a lot more skills than just running
> two pileups without any additional information.
> I think I don't need to explain why, since your way of thinking reduces the
> use of cluster to just pointing and clicking.