[CQ-Contest] Operating IOTA Contest Remotely

[Jim Brown]

On 7/25/2023 3:15 PM, Paul O'Kane wrote:
> It's their contest - they can "dictate" what they like.

That's a problem with some contest sponsors -- it's what THEY want, not 
necessarily what contesters want.

Those of us in touch with reality may have noticed a few things.  First, 
our ham community is getting older, and not so many younger folks are 
coming in to replace us, and to replace the guys that traveled to 
islands when they were a lot younger.

Second, there's this thing called COVID, which has thinned out the herd 
here on Mother Earth, and which is far more likely to be serious or even 
fatal for we old farts. Spending time in indoor public spaces and on 
mass transit is a great way to get COVID. Several ham events in the past 
few years have turned out to be super-spreaders.

What I'm getting at is that the world is continuously changing, and ham 
radio changes with it. Given today's conditions and resources, if remote 
operation puts new multipliers on the air without giving the operator an 
unfair advantage, I'm all for it! Ham radio is about radio, NOT about 
spending money or risking health to go to an island. And remote 
operation isn't going to activate a rare island, only those with an 
existing fixed station, like the one that Jeff and John operate!

73, Jim K9YC