CQ160 Leaders Urge Against Use Of Web Chat Rooms in SSB Test

By Jamie Dupree NS3T  radio-sport.net

 
Posted February 18, 2008

After a CQ 160 CW Contest that was obscured in part by the use of internet chat rooms to set up contacts during the test, contest committee leaders say stations should avoid those same web exchanges during the CQ 160 SSB contest.

"Please do not use chat rooms for the CQ WW 160 SSB or ANY contests sponsored by CQ magazine!" said outgoing CQ 160 Contest Director Dave Thompson K4JRB.

"Single operator use puts them in Multi operator just as using packet/Dx Summit spots would do," Thompson added.

Multi Operators should not solicit contacts or ask for spots just as with self spotting on packet/DX summit."

"The chat rooms will be a definite No No," says Andy Blank N2NT, who is taking over the CQ160 contests. "Not allowed for any category."

As for the 2008 version of the CQ 160 SSB contest, the defending champ is Nikola Lekic VE3EY, who last year ran up almost a half million points from his QTH in Ontario, narrowly edging out Paul Newberry N4PN.

Newberry had his own close race, as he won the USA High Power section by only 102 points over K8T, operated by Yuri Blanarovich K3BU.

Contest officials say they will be watching the ON4KST low band web chat and other chat sites closely during this contest, to make sure stations aren't lining up contacts by non-amateur radio means.

"In my view any QSO directly or indirectly completed via the chat room should result in downgrading to Check Log status. Single or Multi-op," said John Dunnington G3LZQ.

It was a theme that was repeated in a number of emails to radio-sport.net, but not all agreed.

"In my own oppinion, there was nothing wrong with using chat like ON4KST during the contest while you are in multi.op. category, unless it is not forbidden in rules of the contest," wrote Miroslav Bebjak OM5RW.

Bebjak used it as part of the OM7M team. He is correct in that the current rules do not specifically forbid its use.

That seems certain to change before the 2009 CQ 160 tests.