[RTTY] Joe's open letter to Shelby, K4WW

[Tom Moore]

Joe, you're essentially saying: People who run in a separate HIGH POWER 
category are also contributing to:
"If NCJ and ARRL allow this blatant discrimination it will mean than NCJ is 
no longer interested in promoting the leading edge of the contest art and I 
question its long term survivability."

I would refute this with: If you don't let the majority compete within their 
ranks, they will become bored and eventually drop out (actually we're seeing 
this now) and I thus question its long term survivability"

I say, yet again: When all else is equal in any given station, the move to 
SO2R results in a significant increase in scores proven by reported scores 
and testified too by top ranked SO2R ops.  What is it that people don't 
understand about the term 'significant advantage'.

If you say contesting is skill alone or primarily skill, you are dead wrong. 
No doubt its a big part but to answer that issue,  I refer you to Don's 
comment where he said, that with his relatively small ant capability, he 
went to SO2R to attempt to beat the SO1R big guns, which he did and does 
routinely. It didn't mean he was a better or more expert operator than the 
big gun  but rather that he found and implimented a way to increase the 
number of QSO's and multipliers - a "significant advantage" over his 
previous SO1R capability. He clearly said he could not have accomplished 
that running SO1R either low power or high power. Do you dispute his 
findings? Some would say he had to be smarter to make it work. Yes, he 
would. But if I got a new radio, I'd have to get smarter to make it work to 
its maximum capability. I'd have to learn all the bells and whistles etc 
etc. Don't tell or suggest to us that SO2R operators are automatically 
smarter than SO1R ops (as someone did).

Nobody is trying to stifle or exile anyone. No matter how good the drivers 
and tracks are, you don't race 90 hp cars against 120 hp cars and ever 
expect to win or even place unless you have a significant advantage like a 
jet booster.

Referring to earlier comments from others: Now c'mon guys, on the one hand 
you're saying its easy and on the other hand you're saying it has nothing to 
do with the number or radios but instead it all depends on skill. These are 
nice statements but they're not backed-up with creditable facts.  As I said 
earlier, so far, I've not see one reasonable reason why SO1R and SO2R should 
not be separate classes. All we've seen so far is un-reasonable rhetoric and 
all kinds of diversion away from the primary issue:  "when all else is equal 
in a given station (not next door, not down the street, nor across the 
county), the addition of a second radio will significantly improve that 
station's score".  If those who are against this separate category issue 
want to argue this simple single point, please make your opinion known and 
back it up with some facts without name calling or putting-down the skill 
level of SO1R operators.

Joe, I really believe that you and others against this separate category 
thing really believe in your position. I just think you haven't found the 
right words to make your position creditable or justifyable. On the other 
hand, some of the rhetoric we've seen blares "We very smart top contestors 
will blow this BS to those lowly SO1R ops and they'll go hide their heads in 
the sand".  I'm honestly mystifyied about, what I believe to be, unfounded, 
unproven and diversionary statements. These guys really seem to feel 
threathened and I sure don't know why.

Tom WX4TM