[UK-CONTEST] Death to the Cluster!

[Ken Eastty]

>
>  Nothing sophisticated here.
>...........
>
>  Paul
>
>  G3YDY
>
Apart from your QTH being up at Galleywood with almost nothing between 
you the continent and anywhere else!
I wish that I'd made better use of my Essex hilltop QTH at Thundersley, 
I didn't realize how good it was until I moved to Cheltenham!

My original beef was about the effect that the wretched cluster has when 
applied to VHF contests, the issues for HF are different but just as 
important

The rules for RSGB VHF contests say "There was a two-to-one majority in 
favour of retaining the ban on the use of the DX cluster and internet 
chat rooms to assist in making QSO's on 70cms and below"

I Find that this gives mixed messages, but you can "use DX cluster to 
help you find DX during the contest" does that not provide assistance? 
If you don't know what frequency (which someone else has posted) a 'DX' 
station is on you wouldn't know which way to beam or what frequency to 
listen on, in the case of a very weak DX station that's going to make 
the difference between working the 'DX' or not.

"Don't use the DX cluster to help the DX find you" I don't see how this 
can be avoided, if some 'helpful' person has spotted you how can that 
not help the DX find you?

What's the answer? (apart from getting rid of the cluster all together 
which it seems that many people would now be
in favour of). Perhaps every contest QSO should be spotted regardless of 
whether they are 'DX' or not, I don't know whether any of the logging 
programs can automatically spot every QSO? I've never bothered to find out.
However I believe that contests should be about using radio and your own 
skills to find & work stations not relying on the internet to do the 
hard work for you.

73...

Ken

G3LVP