12/10/2006 | SM2CEW This years contest represents a 20 year anniversary of ARRL EME contesting at SM2CEW! Scores have been better in earlier years, but the contest continues to bring lots of fun and excitement even after 20 years.

I had a very good time in the 1st leg of the contest. Conditions were excellent, and I was able to be on 3 bands CW EME all weekend. Unfortunately not so during the 2nd leg, severe weather prevented me from operating except for a couple of hours on Saturday morning. Very frustrating to know that there is good EME activity and stations to work, but I am unable to get on..

However, I am pleased with my results given these problems and the fact that I was sleeping during the nights. As I appreciate the challenge of digging out weak signals out of the noise, decoding them myself, the ARRL EME Contest is indeed an annual highlight. Let's face it, if it was easy we wouldn't do this..!

On another note, I find it increasingly difficult to accept the constant abuse of Internet chatboards and clusters to maximize contest scores. To me it seems like this is more or less 100% linked to operators using the JT65 digital mode. It would be my guess that the vast majority of them use chatboards or clusters, clearly in violation of the ARRL contest rules. Assisted category does not allow self-spotting or QSO soliciting via the internet. And we saw hundreds of "Thank you, -27db" with calls and frequency spotted on clusters, all in the interest of self-spotting frequencies to maximize scores.

Regardless of what some say, that JT65 is capable of random contacts, people still hang out on chatboards during the contest. To me, this is proof of the opposite; random is just not working with the JT65 digital protocol. Why else would people cheat all the time? And why would they constantly self-spot? And remember, stations at Deep Searchsignal levels cannot be decoded unless calls and locators are fully known to both operators. And people listening to these contacts (if at DS level) will not be able to follow them unless they can add the calls to the JT65 program. So, in my opinion there is definitely a reason for self-spotting and QSO soliciting.

This abuse of contest rules must have the effect that a number of contest entries are examined, and operators disqualified. It is important that the ARRL takes a firm standpoint here, why else would the contest rules be presented at all? Or is it possible for each individual to choose which rules suit them, and which can be abused without consequences? This should not be an option.

To show people what is taking place during the contest, take a look at
http://www.sm2cew.com/jt65emeA_061111_0804_gmt.htm where an extract from the N0UK logger from 11 November 2006, 0804 GMT can be seen. This was during the EME contest and we see constant abuse of the contest rules, should any of these stations submit a log.

Another issue to strongly consider is to separate digital and CW/SSB and make them different categories. They have no similarity, and mixing them is not fair. We also see a lot of operators choosing digital over CW to be competitive, even though they are well capable of working EME using CW/SSB. In the interest of preserving CW/SSB in the contest, a separation is the only choice for the future.

Final comment, as I had an interest in finding out what was going on among the digital community I was at times watching loggers and clusters. Therefore I have chosen to send my contest entry as Assisted category. However all of my CW contacts were true random in every case. This is and should be how a radio contest should be carried out, and not like a big telephone fest on the Internet.

Again, directed at the organizer of this fine contest that I have taken part of now for 20 years; please consider separating digital and CW/SSB, and let it be fully understood to each and every participant that real time QSO liaison and self-spotting is not allowed.

Thanks, already looking forward to next years event!!

73/Peter SM2CEW
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