Topband: Posts about cheating

[Tree]

All -

I am sure you have noticed some spots recently discussing some possible
unethical operations on topband by various stations.

I feel that I must step in and say something about these types of posts in
order to keep things from getting out of hand here on the reflector.  Most
people are not subscribed to see this type of information.

As someone who spends a lot of time adjudicating contest logs and judging
events like the WRTC, I am certainly aware of and concerned about stations
who do not follow the rules.  As an avid 160 meter DXer, I am also aware of
the risks that remote receivers and transmitters pose to the integrity of
programs like the DXCC and WAZ.

However, during my years of doing this - one thing has not changed. There
will always be a small percentage of people who play this game who do not
care about following the rules.  It's a fact of life that is not unique to
the world of contesting.

There are many famous examples of this in professional sports and cycling.

One of the best ways to combat this negative energy is certainly peer
pressure.  The Topband reflector is certainly an attractive place to help
apply this pressure - but I am not sure it is the best place to do it.

I often hear stories about stations who are "known" to be using remote
transmitters.  They show up in DX pedition logs at very strange times, when
nobody else from their part of the world has propagation.

But at the same time, there are examples of very strange conditions with
spotlight effects that defy explanation.  The 2008 CQ WW CW single band
effort of N7UA comes to mind. If you have operated enough on 160 meters,
you know how QSB can affect signal strengths - and one station might get
through a pileup just because he happened to be in an area that was peaking
while you area was in a null.

I do not pretend to have the answers on how to deal with this.  Sure, it
would be great to have some kind of formal process where we can detect
cheaters and DQ them from contests...  however, having the ability to
collect enough data to "prove" these cases is very difficult - and well
beyond the abilities of most contest sponsors (certainly the Boring Amateur
Radio Club).

However, what I do know is that I do not want the Topband reflector to
become some kind of public court where these cheaters are exposed and
discussed.  Here are my thoughts on why this isn't the right place:

1. There is no mechanism for any action to be taken.  If you want to raise
awareness of possible cheating in a specific contest (or program like DXCC)
- you should make the sponsors of that event or program aware.

2. Most people are not tuned in here for this type of information.

3. It is very easy for someone to be wrongly accused of something.

The recent example of KC6AWX is interesting.  I do not know this callsign
(although that can be from my brain getting older).  It is possible that
this station remoted into some station in Maine and produced the kind of
results.  That actually isn't illegal and many stations have supplemented
their DXCC totals by operating on both coasts of the USA.  The fact that
this QSO shows up as being in CA could be an honest mistake where the
station forgot to use the right certificate.  Probably the right way to
address is this to send a note to KC6AWX and ask him about it.  Hopefully,
he will respond and admit his mistake and correct it.

Another interesting example is a QSO I found in the Stew.  My long time
friend, NE6I, appeared in the log for 9A5W.  No other QSOs with NE6I have
shown up in ANY other log.  I sent NE6I a note and asked him about it.  As
it turns out - he spent a lot of time putting up a temporary antenna -
managed to work 9A5W, but then got called away and never made any more
QSOs.  He had to take down his antenna before sunrise and that was it.

One other comment I want to make...  sometimes you see very strange signal
strengths on the RBN nodes.  I have seen signal strengths for my own signal
greater than 40 db above the noise level in Finland.  I am not sure how
these are being generated - likely a station calling me is somehow
triggering that number.  Just be warned that this kind of thing can happen.

I know this is a very long email - and likely it will generate just the
kind of thread on this reflector that I try to avoid.  However, I felt it
was important to try and address this trend in some positive way.

I think my "take away" message is something like this.  Cheating happens.
We aren't going to fix it.  If you think someone is cheating, then perhaps
the best way to deal with it is to work with them directly.  If you know of
a well established cheater who doesn't care about the rules - then work
with the sponsor of the event/program directly.  Spending a lot of time
generating posts to this list is not going to fix anything, and likely will
get more people upset with you than they are with the cheater.

73 Tree N6TR