[UK-CONTEST] New CQ WW Category

[Roger Parsons]

I have also been biting my tongue, and have to agree with Peter on the reasons for the new category. 

It is technically possible to set up multiple remote stations, and it can only be a matter of time before some wealthy and unscrupulous group or individual sets them up on both coasts of Canada, the US or Russia. Perhaps it has already happened. It would only be an extension of multi-multis using different stations for each band. Both of these would give a huge advantage - and both are obviously cheating.

I do not however see any correlation between the above and condemning all remote operation. My remote station is 14km from home and I control it over a 900MHz link - that being an amateur band in Canada. I hope that most people would accept that as a legitimate amateur radio operation for contesting or DXing?

My link uses TCP/IP protocol and there is no technical reason why the station could not be controlled over a 14km wire, somebody else's radio, or even the evil internet. How does that fundamentally change things?

Personally I have no problem with remote stations operated from within the same country provided that all transmitters and receivers are at a single location, and provided that the appropriate locator is used. I do have a problem with multiple remote stations or with multiple receiving sites. I also do not like the idea of a station being controlled from a different country, although in this case my logic* defeats me...

73 Roger
VE3ZI/G3RBP

*I was once unfortunately marginally involved with Classical Logic. As I imperfectly understand it, it involves normal logic modified by what the ancient Gods would have done...

* * * * * 

Peter wrote:

"I've been biting my tongue on this one  although of course, as yet another OF, my sympathies reside firmly with Paul and Brian.  But really, CQ have been stuck between a rock and a hard place for some time now.  There have been increasing complaints about "cheats" in recent years, involving dubious use of alternative technologies.  So what did they do?  Set  up a new "no holds barred" section for them.  Being a commercial organisation they need to be suitably PC and so rather than calling it the Cheats section, they just invented a different name for it.

As long as "we" all recognise it for what it is, there must be benefits in that these guys now have a section all to themselves and "we" no longer have to compete with them on a spurious level.  It would be rather nice though if Xtreme entrants were required to provide a distinguishing element in their exchange.  Then "we" could decide whether or not we actually wanted to work them . . .  How about it, Roger?

73
Peter G3LET"