[WWYC] cheaters

[Franki at ON5ZO.be]

OK Dave, have a safe trip and make the best of it. Those 60 days will be over before
you know it.

1. About Packet-cheating:

> N2NL quote:
> The powers-that-be who check logs have developed
> into their software an algorithm which flags the logs of
> possible packet cheaters.  This was apparent last year
> when many SOAB entries were reclassified as assisted.

Oh boy, I surely hope so. I took a look at the Belgian logs on the 'received logs'
page of www.cqww.com and I see at least 2 guys (at least!) who were connected for
48hrs, one of them even spotting DX stations with his own call used in the contest.
And I even suspect his 'LP' log to be seasoned with some extra dB's (say 800W?). He
does it all the time, and I have told him over and over (and will do so again after I
end this message), so it is plain cheating. I can give the others the benefit of the
doubt, or if they're doing casual contesting with 100 - 200 QSOs, it's not that big
an issue...
The other guys didn't spot anything, but then why on earth are you connected to a
cluster??? It's safe to say that the majority of Belgian contesters (and maybe all
over the world) uses packet but send in 'unassisted'.

2. About Power-Cheating: a true story from a while ago...

There's this other guy that owns a big amp. He sends in his log as 'LP'. I ask: 'hey
I heard you got an amp of brand X, are you satiesfied because I plan to buy one like
that'. Answer: "Yeah I used it in last week's contest and it really is a killer amp
and all that power makes me cut through pile ups like a hot knife through butter".
OK, so now I'm 100% sure he was HP but why does his log show LP? A mistake? Think
not!
And I'm not tempted to send emails to CQWW, ARRL etc to point out these issues
because I'm sure it'll all get back in my face somehow - I learned that the hard way.

3. "Packet sucks" by N2NL
http://lists.contesting.com/_3830/2003-11/msg01094.html

I was assisted but like I said in my previous posting: I didn't have that much
benefit of being assisted. If a real DX mult showed up, there was a frenzy that I
just couldn't get through with 100W and low wires. So you waste time. I quit doing
that and moved on, hoping to find something that no one would call because they were
all in the pile up of the packet spot. And I went up 'n down the bands myself most of
the time, trying to work new stuff before it got out on packet. This is why I'll
consider being unassisted. I did it in ARRL DX CW this year where I was SB40m and
maybe I should try it in an SOAB entry too. I had some bad examples when I started
out. Packet was mandatory, selfspotting was a rule - now I need a packet-excorcist
;o)

What Dave says about people calling and calling is true. But it slows everything
down. I try not to do this, but sometimes it happens that I call out of turn. Fatigue
is a major reason for me to do this by accident towards the end of a +40hrs effort.
Or when I hear 'N5?' I might as well send my call. But it all slows down the process.
And then there are the guys that go to a spot, work him and log him, not seeing that
it's a busted call. Ask K2KW how much dupes he gets in Jamaica from people who spot
BY6*.

4. That said...

I am still feeling the thrill of last weekend. 1388 QSOs, minus 6 dupes, for a LP
station with VERY limited antennas. It was the first serious effort after WAE CW from
the new QTH and I think moving to an altitude of about 50-60m ASL with a clear
panoramic view might help too. Thanks to my dad, who helped me two weeks ago on a
freezing cold windy and rainy Sunday, to get that multiband parallel wire dipole up.
Now the QSL chore can begin!

Now onwards to the next one... CU there! 73
Franki ON5ZO