RadioBanter - View Single Post - It pays to read ALL the contest rules before starting out ...

Bert Hyman · December 14th 09, 04:49 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.moderated

In m
wrote:

Bert Hyman wrote:

...
Didn't see anything about "assisted", so without really thinking
about it, I left "Band Master" (a GUI DX cluster front end) running
when I started the contest.

During one of the many lulls in the contest, I read the rest of the
rules and found

3.2. Multioperator, Single Transmitter, mixed mode (only).
3.2.1. Includes single operators using packet or spotting
assistance.

So, I was suddenly stuck in the Multi-op, mixed mode category.

Oh well. That's a mistake I won't make again.

Ouch!

In ARRL and CQ contests you can reasonably assume a single-operator
category does NOT allow for use of the Cluster. Many contests have a
separate "assisted" category -- looks like the 10M Test isn't one of
them, in which case use of cluster indeed makes you a multiop entry...

...

I dropped a line to the contest folks at ARRL, suggesting that they move
the bit about single-op becoming multi-op if assisted up into the
single-op section, or even moving it above the single-op section.

I didn't really expect to find info about single-op down in the multi-op
rules.

As far as the contest went, my experience was much like yours (although
my contact count was much lower). Toward the end of the last hour, I
wanted to pull a stunt like some legislatures use and throw a towel over
the clock so I could keep going after midnight GMT :-)

--
Bert Hyman W0RSB St. Paul, MN