[RTTY] BARTG HF Contest 2015 Preliminary Results

[Ed Muns]

1.  Every contest has the potential to penalize the innocent when the
exchange cross-check doesn't match due to an error on the sender's end.

2.  If the exchange is the same for each QSO, then the log checker can use a
reverse log to determine what was most likely sent, even if it is different
than what is in the sender's log.  ("Most likely", only because the sender
could still send different exchanges during the contest.)

3.  For contests like the BARTG HF Contest that give us a more challenging
exchange that is unique per QSO, it follows that it will be more difficult
to adjudicate the exchange cross-check.  This 10-day long thread has
suggested:

	a.  Several ways in which the sender can log a different time
exchange than what he sent.

	b.  Various means the log checker can offset the sender's error and
not penalize the receiver.

	c.  A rule change that would replace the time exchange with one that
is easier to adjudicate.

3a.  Stuff happens, everywhere in life.  Yes, it is worsened with unique
exchanges like serial numbers and times.  But, that is the trade-off for
having a more challenging exchange that tests our operating skill ... on
both sides of the QSO. 

3b.  I am very grateful to Simone and the good people in BARTG (and all
other contest sponsors) for their commitment and diligence in organizing and
adjudicating the contest for us.

3c.  All contests do not need to have the same rules (and exchanges), let
alone be dumbed down so they are trivial to adjudicate and boring to
participate in.  It's great to have diversity in rules and exchanges.  Not
only more interesting and fun, but more challenging for improving our
operating skills.

The BARTG HF Contest is not broken.  Let's stop trying to fix it.

Ed W0YK


   

 

Al AB2ZY wrote:

The problem isn't the technology.  It's the people.  If you send me 1225 for
the time but you log it as 1226, then I get penalized for a busted QSO when
it was you that made the error.

And, like I point out, if BARTG is going to delve into trying to figure out
what you really meant to send instead of what you logged as sent by
resorting to information of dubious provenance collected from outside the
QSO, then the exchange is the issue.