[RTTY] tracking self-spotters

[Ed]

Nelson Moyer wrote:
 
I guess I can't see the harm in self spotting on the clusters, except
for contest participants. I think it is a good thing on the low bands
when rare DX stations (defined as any entity I haven't worked)
announce that they are QRV. Disqualifying stations for self spotting
is a bit Draconian in my view.
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Nelson, it is not considered a disqualifying factor to use a cluster
for DX. But, as you say, not in contests where the rules are specific.
As someone pointed out, if K?XXX works the contest and send spots but
don't submit his log, there is no problem, EXCEPT, what if a well
organized contest club agrees that 1 of their members will do the
above. This now becomes one of those " if the rules don't prohibit it,
it must be legal". Except it is a poorly disguised form of cheating.
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This is a hobby! Why should cluster sysops want to enforce their
biases on others? Tracking and banning smacks of 'if you don't play by
my rules, I'll take my ball and go home'. Aren't we mature enough to
play radio the way we want to, so long as it is legal by FCC rules?
tracking being done at some clusters to identify potential self
spotters.
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Again, I have not seen a single comment by any sysop which would tend
to "force" their "bias" on others. They are merely trying to improve
the integrity of the contest by identifying those who are cheating.
At the very worst, they are merely trying to improve the integrity
of the log submissions.

73
Ed