[CQ-Contest] Encouraging Spotting of SSB QSOs in Contests

[Jack Brindle]

Every contester should read the contest rules _before_ entering the contest. From this year’s ARRL Sweepstakes rules:
"Generating spotting information for use by other stations is not considered to be spotting assistance." 

Also, the old prohibition of self-spotting is no longer in the rules.

You might want to check out the rules before 2100Z…

73,
Jack, W6FB


> On Nov 19, 2022, at 9:44 AM, Pete Smith N4ZR <pete.n4zr at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I've been appalled by how few stations spot in phone contests, even though N1MM+ (and perhaps other contest logging programs) offer the option of spotting all S&P QSOs, regardless of mode.
> 
> It's been suggested to me that some non-assisted contest entrants may be deterred because of concern that they might risk disqualification if frequent spots attributed to them are seen on the cluster network.  If that's a significant deterrent, which seems somewhat credible, then perhaps the sponsors of the major contests should singly or collectively announce that the appearance of spots attributed to non-assisted competitors will not, by themselves, be considered  evidence of assisted status.
> 
> Then how would illicit assisted operation be detected?  15 years ago, CT1BOH and VE5ZX authored a paper on how to identify undisclosed two-radio or assisted operation through log analysis.  With the capabilities now available to us, and the near-universal acceptance of open logs, it seems to me that the means exist for detecting undisclosed assistance without making assumptions based on spotting.
> 
> So what say, contest organizers?
> 
> -- 
> 73, Pete N4ZR
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