[CQ-Contest] Is Self Spotting now allowed in ARRL tests?

[Hans Brakob]

With a little work, Siri could be an SSB RBN.

73, de Hans, KØHB
“Just a Boy and his Radio”™
________________________________
From: CQ-Contest <cq-contest-bounces+kzerohb=gmail.com at contesting.com> on behalf of Pete Smith N4ZR <pete.n4zr at gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, November 24, 2022 6:54:10 PM
To: cq-contest at contesting.com <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Is Self Spotting now allowed in ARRL tests?

While I agree with Steve's final point, the bit about a phone RBN is
nonsense. There may be one, but I suspect it resides in Fort Meade, and
for us ordinary mortals, it is a nothing burger.

73, Pete N4ZR
Check out the new Reverse Beacon Network
web server at<https://reversebeacon.net>.
For spots, please use your favorite
"retail" DX cluster.

On 11/24/2022 12:56 PM, Tom Hellem wrote:
> Amen to that. The most telling post on the subject to date by far.
>
> K0SN
>
> On Wed, Nov 23, 2022 at 4:47 PM Steve Dyer W1SRD via CQ-Contest <
> cq-contest at contesting.com> wrote:
>
>> It's not any different. This whole issue is a nothing burger. The tech
>> exists for a phone RBN, just no one has (bothered) to do it.
>> No, self spotting won't be the "end of contesting as we know it" (TM).
>> I am far more worried about the skewed distribution of CK numbers in my
>> log.
>> 73,
>> Steve
>> W1SRD
>>
>> On 11/23/2022 9:52 AM, Lee Hiers wrote:
>>> How is that materially different from having a program that automatically
>>> spots every S&P contact, clogging the cluster with spots of CQing
>> stations?
>>> 73 de Lee, AA4GA
>>>
>>> On Tue, Nov 22, 2022 at 7:19 PM Pete Smith N4ZR<pete.n4zr at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>> It makes no sense to encourage stations to clog the clusters with spots
>>>> of themselves, just because they can.
>>>>
>>>> 73, Pete N4ZR
>>>> Check out the new Reverse Beacon Network
>>>> web server at<https://reversebeacon.net>.
>>>> For spots, please use your favorite
>>>> "retail" DX cluster.
>>>>
>>>> On 11/22/2022 12:12 PM, Tim Shoppa wrote:
>>>>> Bob W5OV of the ARRL has corrected me.
>>>>>
>>>>> He writes "Your reading of PROH.3 is not correct. That exclusion is
>>>>> specifically about making schedules, soliciting contacts (i.e.; CQing),
>>>> and
>>>>> sending or receiving the required QSO exchange information via
>>>> non-amateur
>>>>> means. It says nothing about spotting."
>>>>>
>>>>> I myself fail to see any distinction between self-spotting on a Telnet
>>>>> cluster, and soliciting i.e. CQing using non-amateur means, but that's
>>>>> official from W5OV of ARRL.
>>>>>
>>>>> Tim N3QE
>>>>>
>>>>> On Tue, Nov 22, 2022 at 9:13 AM Tim Shoppa<tshoppa at gmail.com>   wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> First, make sure you have the latest rules. ARRL didn't update the
>>>>>> November SS rules (to the latest, version 1.06) on their website until
>>>> late
>>>>>> August. Prior to that we just had a confusing tease about
>> self-spotting
>>>>>> from a Contest Update earlier in the year.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Link to current SS rules:
>>>>>> https://contests.arrl.org/ContestRules/SS-Rules.pdf
>>>>>>
>>>>>> My reading of SS rule PROH.3 in version 1.06 of the rules, is that
>>>>>> self-spotting is a form of soliciting contacts by a non-amateur radio
>>>> means
>>>>>> (in this case Telnet cluster) and thus prohibited:
>>>>>>
>>>>>> "Examples of prohibited conduct [...]: PROH.3. Arranging, soliciting,
>> or
>>>>>> confirming any contacts during or after the contest by use of any
>>>>>> non-amateur radio means."
>>>>>>
>>>>>> One clarification in 1.06 does explicitly allow a corner case of
>>>> spotting,
>>>>>> that was never previously mentioned in past contest rules. In the
>>>>>> definition section you will find, "Generating spotting information for
>>>> use
>>>>>> by other stations is not considered to be spotting assistance." So for
>>>>>> example you can be hooked up to a cluster and sending spots, as long
>> as
>>>>>> you've set all the filters such that nothing ever comes in to you from
>>>> the
>>>>>> cluster.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Tim N3QE
>>>>>>
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