[CQ-Contest] ARRL to allow self-spotting in contests

Thu Feb 17 11:16:54 EST 2022

The issue here is that these changes are so fundamental and a reversal of
what is uniformly accepted across all contest circles.

#1  Thou shalt not self spot
#2  Thou shalt not use non-amateur means of soliciting comments.

Without really any feedback, an organization is saying all of what we have
accepted as the absolute norm for radio sport no longer true.

Its akin to saying that golf carts are now permissible on the PGA tour.

73 Rich NN3W

On Thu, Feb 17, 2022 at 10:57 AM Sterling Mann <kawfey at gmail.com> wrote:

> I could see that being a hackathon now, and a competitive computing contest
> in the 2030s, but by the time that's really a thing, I don't think many on
> this list will mind.
>
> "Traditional" ham radio contesting is going nowhere anytime soon, but it's
> also getting us nowhere if we don't evolve.
>
> -Sterling
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 16, 2022 at 7:14 PM Doug Renwick <ve5ra at sasktel.net> wrote:
>
> > Yes let's take another step further.
> >
> > The contest station will be operator free. An AI computer will be reading
> > and transmitting the contacts, turning the antennas, selecting the
> > frequency, even turning the power on at beginning and off at the end. So
> > you
> > know where this rule change is heading.
> >
> > Doug
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: CQ-Contest
> > [mailto:cq-contest-bounces+ve5ra=sasktel.net at contesting.com] On Behalf
> Of
> > Sterling Mann
> > Sent: February-16-22 3:43 PM
> > To: CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> > Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] ARRL to allow self-spotting in contests
> >
> > Let's take it a step further...
> >
> > * epic sports intro music plays *
> >
> > And we are live at the K3LR super station, here on ESPN FiveNine - Your
> > HOME for RadioSport, where everybody is Five and Nine. We're just minutes
> > away from kicking off 2032's Worldwide DX Slam, and we already have 9 -
> > countem, NINE - ops on frequency already warming up the bands. I think we
> > got a big game ahead, last year's rival is putting up a bigger fight -
> K9CT
> > just put up 3 new towers on their farm, but their ops are sitting pretty
> > from the comfort of their laz-e-boys and couches tied in over Starlink,
> so
> > it's the perfect storm, butting the Butts in Chairs with the Work from
> > Homers against each other. Tim, what are we gonna be seeing today?
> >
> > Well Fred, this is a young crop of contesters, so you'll be they'll be up
> > all night working well into Japan and Australia on 160m with that new
> > OctaVert they've been playin with, and just checked last night, looks
> like
> > we got 37,000 VK and JA listed on the regs tonight so it'll be like
> > shooting fish in a barrel in the graveyard shift assuming they can keep
> > their rates up and their frequencies busy. That'll be really key, coming
> > into the sunspot minimums, as the high bands just aren't going to keep it
> > up despite HAARP-II cooking the ionosphere last week for the
> > Lets-Make-10m-work-again contest. Man you could feel the heat, and you
> can
> > feel it here too. We also expect big things out of the rookie, Maci
> > Maxwell. She has just been blowing up the scoreboards on nightly sprints
> > but now she's eating at the big kids table, so pressure's on but I think
> > she's got it in the bag - we'll really see her shine on the greyline. And
> > can't forget about that wild metamaterial iono-georesonant phased array
> at
> > 4O3A causing a storm in the radiosport meta, that is going to be a thorn
> in
> > everyone's side. Definitely going to be a big thing to keep an eye on in
> > the top five, and certainly be a hard battle for first place unlimited,
> but
> > you will see it here on ESPN FiveNine. Back to you Fred.
> >
> > Thanks Tim. For those playing at home, it's time to put on those FlexVR
> > headsets for a new immersive experience brought to you by DX Engineering
> -
> > bringing the DX to the METAVERSE - it's DXaVERSE. Watch real-time stats
> and
> > scores, hear stations in full 360 audio with the all new NeuralDSP audio
> > engine, and SEE the DX coming from the skies so you always know where to
> > spin the dial and spin your beam to always be on top.
> >
> > ***
> >
> > I long for the day that RadioSportscaster is an actual job, but I think
> > we've got a long way to go :-P
> >
> > -Sterling N0SSC
> >
> > Hi Randy:
> > >
> > > Allowing self-spotting might not have had much of an impact.  Allowing
> > chat rooms and other non-amateur radio platforms will have a huge impact.
> > Competitive assisted single operators and Multi-ops will have social
> media
> > coordinators.  Unless a very carefully crafted rule is written, Single
> > Operator Assisted operators can have additional people helping with
> social
> > media.
> > >
> > > Live streaming offers the ability to confirm QSOs in real-time.  The
> > video/audio feeds will quickly be augmented by machine-readable data for
> > that confirmation - and real-time QSLing!  This effectively eliminates
> the
> > rules against confirming QSOs during contests by non-amateur radio means.
> > >
> > > Many QSOs will now be arranged via social media or dedicated apps.  It
> > will be interesting to see if stations still need to hold run frequencies
> > in
> > a few years when the scheduling apps can just access their current
> > frequency
> > in real-time and it becomes sort of like a sprint.  I hope so -
> otherwise,
> > the single operators won't even be able to work the serious
> > assisted/multi-op stations.
> > >
> > > 73,
> > >
> > > Mark, KD4D
> > >
> > > >* On 02/16/2022 7:23 AM Randy Thompson <k5zd at outlook.com
> > <http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest>> wrote:
> > > *> >  >* From the ARRL Contest Update today:
> > > *> >* "New Rules in effect for all ARRL HF Contests in June
> > > *>* Starting with the ARRL International Digital Contest, in all
> > categories that allow assistance (Unlimited), the use of online and other
> > non-amateur radio platforms including but not limited to social media,
> live
> > video streaming, and internet chat rooms will be allowed. In all
> Unlimited
> > and Multioperator categories, the prohibition of self-spotting, and
> asking
> > another station to spot you, will also be removed."
> > > *> >* Wow.  It was one thing for the VHF contests to allow use of chat
> > rooms and telephone calls, now this is extended to all HF contests. It
> > should be interesting to see what unintended consequences result from
> > allowing multi-ops and assisted competitors to spot themselves. You could
> > spot yourself with every CQ if you wanted to. Or you can call people on
> the
> > phone and ask them to get on the air. Or send out email reminders to work
> > you during the contest.
> > > *> >* It is likely to have the most impact on SSB to produce spotting
> > equal to what the RBN does for CW and RTTY.
> > > *> >* For an organization that has always been so timid and
> conservative
> > on rule changes, the ARRL seems to have sprung this one without much
> > consultation with the contest community.  I assume it is in reaction to
> the
> > W2RE incident several years ago in ARRL DX where he used live streaming
> on
> > Facebook during the contest.
> > > *> > >* Randy K5ZD
> > > *> >* _______________________________________________
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> > > *
> > >
> > >
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