[VHFcontesting] "CQ On The Internet", Spin Doctors, and fair debate

[Paul Decker]

I'm actually not ready to take a position either way, but I have to confess, When George first used the "CQ" with the "spotting", I was a bit taken aback.  But like George, when I really sat down and thought about it for a few seconds, I came to the same conclusion.   




	----- Original Message -----  From: George Fremin III <geoiii at kkn.net>  To: vhfcontesting at contesting.com  Sent: Thu, 26 Sep 2013 23:34:09 -0000 (UTC)  Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] "CQ On The Internet", Spin Doctors,	and fair debate	On Thu, Sep 26, 2013 at 05:01:27PM -0500, Les Rayburn wrote:	> My point is that being active in one VHF contest per year, or even fewer   > hardly compares to the contributions of some on the other side of this   > debate. The opposition to some form of an assisted category is   > passionate and vocal, but most of that seems to come from people who are   > not otherwise active.	I am sorry that I am not active enough for you to think my experience  and views matter.	The other VHF contests of the year are much harder for me to carve out  a weekend for - between kids and other non radio activities I can not  do those contests very often.  But I do really enjoy operating the  VHF/UHF bands.  And on a cost per QSO basis my ham radio budget is  very skewed on the bands above 50 mhz.  I spend more time thinking  about how to make my VHF station better than I do about HF. If I only  had the funds to do it - I know I could build an amazing station.	> If you study the history of the VHF bands, you'll find that prearranged   > schedules during both contests and everyday operation are nothing new.	 I know this history.	> with success to coordinate contacts. Some of the most competitive   > stations invest a good deal of time in arranging skeds prior to   > contests, and trying to drum up activity.	 I am saying that it is possible to turn in contest scores without   doing these things.  It is even possible to have fun doing   the contests without these things.	 > The problem with repeating a falsehood over and over is that it becomes   > accepted as truth. Especially if it comes from someone who is respected.	Please tell me where I have stated something that is false.	I will be glad to be corrected if I made a false statement or   if I have said something that is wrong due to not understanding  the facts.	 > post announcements of digital operation. It is not to allow someone to   > "call CQ" on the Intenet. That is a distortion of the proposal, designed   > to encite an emotiional response.	No, the reason I called it a CQ is to show that it is indeed   a solicitation (just a like a CQ on the radio) for contacts.   I think it is important to make that clear.  One of the problems  with this topic is that we throw around terms like "spots" "spotting"  "announcements" and the like but I am not sure that everyone is on  the same page as to what those mean.	Is an "announcement" made one time before the contest - like we see  on this list that I going to be on in the contest doing X?	Or is is "announcing" every 5 seconds in some chat room or many   chat rooms or on the DX spotting system that I am on XX freq   now?	I wanted to point out that the "announcements" that K5QE is talking  about are of the very frequent "I am calling on XX freq" type.	And when I thought about it - I realized that it was really   pretty much like calling CQ.  And if that is what most people   want to happen during VHF contests. Then I guess we should do   it but they need to understand what it is they are supporting.	>   > We have practical experience with Marshall's proposal in both the CQ VHF   > and SVHFS Sprints. In both cases, nothing horrible happened. Crisis   > averted. Earth saved.	Great.	  I will again say that not all contests have the have the same rules.  I think it is great that contests are not all the same - don't have  the same conditions etc.	 --   George Fremin III - K5TR  geoiii at kkn.net  http://www.kkn.net/~k5tr	  _______________________________________________  VHFcontesting mailing list  VHFcontesting at contesting.com  http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/vhfcontesting