At Log Deadline, CN2R Blocks OH2MM Repeat Win in CQ160 CW

By Jamie Dupree NS3T radio-sport.net
Posted March 3, 2008

With all logs now in for the 2008 CQ 160 CW contest, defending single operator champ Ville Hilesmaa OH2MM won't be able to repeat his 2007 win, as the lead is instead in the hands of Jim Sullivan CN2R/W7EJ.
Sullivan's claimed score of 2.4 million points at the CQ160 CW log deadline is 750k more than current second place Bill Tippett W4ZV, who piloted Jeff Briggs' VY2ZM station in Canada.
Defending champ Hilesmaa is third with over 1.3 million points, as he operated as CU2A.
"Good conditions the first night," was the 3830 understatement from Sullivan, who made 1,755 contacts from Morocco, netting 86 countries and a solid total of 56 US and Canadian mults.
Second place Tippett more than enjoyed his trip to Prince Edward Island, where he made 32 more contacts than CN2R, but had 14 fewer multipliers.
"160 will never be the same from home," said Tippett. "Topband sounded better at 2pm local time from PEI than it ever has from NC in the best of conditions!"
While VY2ZM hosted a top finisher, his brother Peter Briggs K3ZM pulled his own weight back in the US, as Briggs has the USA high power lead over K1LZ.
Briggs was the only single op in the US who made over 1,500 contacts, as he totaled 806k to 789k for K1LZ.
In the World Low Power category, Mamuka Kordzakhia 4L2M made his 10-pointers count from Georgia, as he owns the claimed lead in that category, with 409,626. 20k back in second place is Kyle Chavis WA4PGM, who again made the trek to VP9I on Bermuda.
The US low power leader is from Florida, as John Colyard W4IX checked in with a claimed score of 235,396 points. In second with 181k is Jim Monahan K1PX.
The multi-category leader is Team CT9M, which left Madeira with a claimed score of 2.3 million points, over half a million ahead of 4O3A.
The USA multi leader is a familiar call, as W8JI has a strong lead over W2GD.
The QRP title may be decided in the log checks, as a pair of Czechs are at the top, OL4W (OK1IF) and OK1IW. The US QRP leader is W0GJ.
Meanwhile, as for the post-contest dispute that erupted over the use of the ON4KST internet web chat site to line up QSO's during the CQ 160 CW contest, the fallout continues.
"Some stations have voluntarily withdrawn their logs," said brand new CQ 160 Contest Director Andy Blank N2NT.
"There will not be any disqualifications for this, buy maybe a reclassification," he added.
Some stations did that on their own, after reconsidering their use of the ON4KST chat site, like Braco Memic OE1EMS, who headed up the T93J multi-op.
Memic told radio-sport.net that while using the chat site was not against the rules, his team decided to Checklog their entry.
Those were not just words, either, as before the CQ160 SSB contest, Memic was chatting on ON4KST, but making it clear, he wouldn't be doing the same during the test.
"Will be later on ssb in test...but have to log out first from chat :-)" wrote Memic.
CQ 160 director Blank promises that the rules will be tightened for the 2009 contests.
"After ARRL DX, there will be more discussion," said Blank.

Your Views On Contest Web Chats

One source of post-contest attention was the use of internet chat sites by certain competitors in the CQ160 CW Contest, who used the ON4KST web chat site to set up and solicit contacts during the test.
Subsequent questions about the use of the chat room caused some stations to submit their entries as check logs. Use of the rooms will be banned in the future. Here is what some of you said about the dispute:

ON4KST chat is a huge advantage for soliciting QSO's even to make a fake QSO's. I'm happy with my 6 states / 51 countries worked the hard way - by the radio. In my opinion every chat user that had fake QSO's must be classified as check log. - Nasko Atanasov LZ3YY

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. - John Dunnington G3LZQ

In my opinion anyone using the Chat or cluster to solicit or complete a QSO in either DXCC or contests should at a minimum lose the credit for that contact, or have their logs relegated to "check log status." - Tom Rauch W8JI
At some point you hope common sense and respect for integrity of the sport regulates behavior rather than having to spell everything out in writing. - Ken Claerbout K4ZW
Soliciting QSOs using any medium should be considered cheating. Period. It is clear quite a few CQ160 entrants should consider re-submitting their entry as a checklog, even if rules don't specifically mention it. Thanks for making the ON4KST chat logs available. I welcome transparency and hope all contest sponsors begin making entrants logs available for public viewing, like CQWW. - Dez Watson G3WW