[UK-CONTEST] IOTA - A Gentlemanly Contest?

[MM0BQI]

Thanks for your honest and frank response Brian.  
I was unaware that GM2T had been using two run stations during the contest, you must be grateful to the station who alerted you on the cluster. I noted a couple of stations who seemed to be on two bands at once when I was on the mult station trawling through the bands.  The notes I referred to are the scribbles on my note pad reminding me where stations are and if they are workable. Band maps are great but you can get more information from your notes , if you can read the writing!
On one of the few occasions our phone line worked I saw contest stations spotted outwith the contest segments. Frustrating to hear them and not be able to work them for a new mult.  Surely part of any contest preparation should cover understanding the rules and what criteria you need to comply with?
In my opinion the rules do give rise to different interpretations and this needs to be addressed.  We adopted the view, last year and this year, similar to that of C4EU and G5W that one station is physically the run station and all run Qs must be made on that station. The other station can only work new mults. However the rules can also be interpreted to mean that as long as the two stations are not calling CQ or working non mults at the same time then this is okay.  I feel that is not in the spirit of the contest but perfectly within the rules.
We are certainly in agreement over the need for a new multi-multi section which may remove some of these perennial problems. I will email my thoughts to the IOTA Contest Manager and hopefully others will express their opinions as well and then the committee may decide to alter the rules.
As a novice contester and operator, through over enthusiasm and inexperience, I broke contest rules on occasions. It was only after closer contact with members of the Club whom I respected and looked up to that I realised that there were better ways to enjoy contesting.  They played it straight down the middle, I remember during one QRP contest they worried about being a few mW over the limit!  That made a lasting impression.  Having met many more contesters throughout the country who also have this philosophy I get a lot of satisfaction and enjoyment doing what I can within the rules.  Hence my concerns to make the rules as clear and unambiguous as possible and to minimise the damage done by those who flaunt them.  Like yourself if I do transgress it's hands up and then sort it out.
My reference to cheating was related to running more than 400 watts.  On this issue, as a contesting community, if we feel disadvantaged in a global context by our current power levels should we not lobby for a revision of our license?  Then we can all run 1500 watts and watch our QSO rates soar.
73
Jim,  MM0BQI