[VHFcontesting] Assisted Classes

Tue Feb 16 13:15:15 PST 2010

On Feb 16, 2010, at 12:19 AM, "Les Rayburn" <les at highnoonfilm.com>  
wrote:

> Spotting is much more difficult to detect.

In some ways, cheaters using spots are easier to detect than those  
cheating with extra power.  In order to benefit from the spots, you  
have to make contacts with information that you otherwise would not  
have, and hiding the fact that you are changing your behavior to chase  
spots is often very difficult. Log analysis can often identify this  
behavior.

I suggest that identifying stations running excess power is a harder  
problem.

> Beyond all that, what I dislike is that eliminating spotting results  
> in
> fewer contacts per contest. Period.

This is really an unprovable claim; however, there are reasons to  
think it's not necessarily true. Consider Field Day - most stations in  
that contest lack access to a spotting network and yet an enormous  
number of QSOs are made in that contest.

I would support removing all assisted classes from contests.

>
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "John Geiger" <aa5jg at yahoo.com>
> Sent: Monday, February 15, 2010 8:46 PM
> To: "Les Rayburn" <les at highnoonfilm.com>; <vhfcontesting at contesting.com 
> >; "R
> Johnson" <k1vu at tmlp.com>
> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Assisted Classes
>
>> Following this logic, then, shouldn't we just eliminate all power
>> categories from contests, as the ARRL really can't policy how much  
>> power
>> anyone is running?  Probably need to eliminate the single op/multiop
>> distinction also, since it is always possible that you could get a  
>> little
>> late night help that isn't reported on the summary sheet.  I guess  
>> the
>> only classes we would need for VHF contesting would be limited (4  
>> bands or
>> less) and unlimited (as many bands as you want).
>>
>> 73s John AA5JG
>>
>> --- On Sun, 2/14/10, R Johnson <k1vu at tmlp.com> wrote:
>>
>>> From: R Johnson <k1vu at tmlp.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Assisted Classes
>>> To: "Les Rayburn" <les at highnoonfilm.com>, vhfcontesting at contesting.com
>>> Date: Sunday, February 14, 2010, 9:45 PM
>>> Well put Les !!!
>>> 73
>>> Bob, K1VU
>>>
>>> At 15:58 2/12/2010, Les Rayburn wrote:
>>>> It reminds me of Oppenheimer's analogy about the Atomic
>>> Age. The "genie is out of the bottle". Web clusters,
>>> spotting networks, Twitter updates, etc. are here and
>>> nothing will change that.
>>>>
>>>> The ARRL can't police these sites, because they don't
>>> own them.
>>>>
>>>> It seems to be that retaining the notion of an
>>> "unassisted class" is wishful thinking. Many of us long for
>>> days gone by, filled with comic books, and pinball machines,
>>> and rotary telephones. But those days are gone. You can
>>> surround yourself with mementos of those days, or stubbornly
>>> refuse to use that new touch tone phone, but it won't bring
>>> that world back.
>>>>
>>>> In any contest, people can and will use whatever means
>>> are at their disposal to win. Yes, most of us will follow
>>> the rule and take pride in the fact that we didn't act
>>> dishonorably to win 5th place or crack the Top Ten. But
>>> there are others who "win at any cost" will always be the
>>> order of the day.
>>>>
>>>> The ARRL has to be realistic about their ability to
>>> enforce the rules of any contest, and try to make it as fair
>>> as possible for everyone involved. It's clear that they
>>> cannot effectively enforce many of the rules that involve
>>> the use of spotting networks. So why not just admit that
>>> Genie is out of the bottle. Allow assistance in the form of
>>> spotting networks, and move on.
>>>>
>>>> This levels the playing field, and operators add
>>> another tool to their shack. In the end, the best operators
>>> will still prevail, as they usually do. Yes, it changes the
>>> game--and we'll mourn the passing of a simpler time, when a
>>> operator could sit alone in a room, disconnected from the
>>> outside world save for their radio.
>>>>
>>>> But life and technology marches on.
>>>>
>>>> 73,
>>>>
>>>> Les Rayburn, N1LF
>>>> EM63nf
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Les Rayburn, Director
>>>> High Noon Film
>>>> 100 Centerview Drive Suite 111
>>>> Birmingham, AL 35216-3748
>>>> 205.824.8930
>>>> 205.824.8960 FAX
>>>> 205.253.4867 CELL
>>>> http://www.highnoonfilm.com
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>>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>
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