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"Technology is advancing very rapidly," wrote CQ WW Director Bob Cox K3EST on the CQ-Contest reflector. "The CQ WW Contest Committee wants to make it clear about the use of Skimmer."
But instead of making it "clear about the use of Skimmer," Cox's note brought a torrent of questions, forcing him to revise his statement a day later.
While the rules for the 2010 CQ WW contests allow the use of a "remote" skimmer that is outside the 500 meter circle around your station, Cox suddenly announced that remote skimmers - with one exception - are not approved for use.
"*Remote skimmers (beyond the 500m station circle) are *not permitted for any category," he wrote in a pair of notes, which you can see on the right sidebar.
That is different from what the 2010 CQ WW rules say:
"QSO alerting assistance of any kind (this includes, but is not limited to, packet, local or remote Skimmer and/or Skimmer-like technology, Internet) places the entrant in the Single Operator Assisted category," states the CQ WW rules, which are printed in the September 2010 edition of CQ Magazine.
It was not immediately clear why Cox decided to make the late change, which at first singled out the Reverse Beacon Network as the only approved contest use of a remote skimmer for spots, but then changed that to any public source of skimmer spots.
"Wow, quite a flap," wrote RBN organizer Pete Smith N4ZR on CQ-Contest. "Our little RBN group has no desire to be singled out" by the CQ WW Contest Committee.
Smith defended the Reverse Beacon Network for providing public spots which are gathered by Skimmers around the world, arguing it provides much better "Assistance" than a regular spotting network.
"I think the one thing you can say for using the RBN as a buffer between users and Skimmers is that it's an equal-opportunity provider," Smith told radio-sport.net, adding that "nobody receiving spots from the RBN has control of the Skimmer that is generating the spots."
The latest clarification from CQ WW is that using "public" skimmers is within the rules.
"The use of a *public *skimmer, *public* skimmer network, *public* aggregator or the RBN is *OK for all Multi-op and Assisted categories," Cox wrote on Wednesday.
"The use of a *PRIVATE *skimmer or *PRIVATE *skimmer network is *NOT allowed (outside the 500m circle) for any category," Cox further stated.
"We realize the words public and private are vague. The intent is that any QSO spotting network outside of the 500m circle be available for anyone to use," Cox concluded.
Nowhere in the current CQ WW rules is there any discussion of private/public skimmers.
The explanations did not wash with some like David Robbins K1TTT, who has been at the forefront of improvements in spotting clusters in recent years. He said it made no sense to differentiate between one remote skimmer, and many linked together.
"So if connecting a whole bunch of those receivers into an aggregator like RBN makes them OK to use, but connecting to a single one that is not somehow magically 'public' is not ok? Even if that one spot source could also somehow be extracted from the aggregate stream?" Robbins wrote on CQ-Contest.
"As you said, technology is advancing very rapidly, and you guys just aren't keeping up," Robbins said in a slap at the CQ WW Contest Committee, "and trying to 'clarify' things the week before the biggest contest of the year for the skimmer networks isn't helping things."
What was also unclear after the two clarifications by Cox was what prompted this last minute announcement - was it just an effort to remind people not to cheat in this year's CQ WW CW?
Or did the CQ WW Contest Committee get wind of contesters who were ready to use remote receivers and skimmers in a way that went against the spirit of the CQ WW rules?
CQ WW Contest Director Bob Cox K3EST issued two notes this week that clarified rules dealing with the Skimmer CW software program and the use of "remote skimmers".
November 23, 2010
4. The *rules *pertaining to the assisted category mention: “QSO alerting assistance is allowed (this includes, but is not limited to, packet, local or remote Skimmer and/or Skimmer-like technology, Internet). Self-spotting or asking to be spotted is not allowed.”
*Technology is advancing very rapidly. The CQ WW Contest Committee wants to make it clear about the use of Skimmer technology. *
*A.** * Skimmer and skimmer-like technology is permitted for all Multi-Operator classes as well as for all the Single Operator-*Assisted categories. *The use of a personal skimmer located *within the distance rule limitations* of your QTH (500m rule) is OK.
*B. *The use of a remote, personal skimmer is *NOT *allowed. This is the same as a using a remote receiver, which is not allowed for any category. *Remote receivers (including Internet-based SDRs,) which are **outside the 500m station circle*, *are not permitted* *(strictly forbidden) for any category. ***
*C. *Remote skimmers (beyond the 500m station circle) are *not permitted for any category,* except for the *Reverse Beacon Network (RBN).* *Utilization of the RBN is permitted for all Multi-Operator classes as well as for the Single Operator-Assisted categories ONLY.* If you are a single op entry and access the Reverse Beacon Network, *you MUST submit your log as ASSISTED.***
* If you have any questions, please contact questions at cqww.com.*
And there were a lot of questions - so many - that Cox issued a clarification of his original statement.
A. The use of a personal skimmer located within the distance rule limitations (500m circle) of your QTH is *OK for all Multi-op and Assisted categories.
B. The use of a *public *skimmer, *public* skimmer network, *public*aggregator or the RBN is *OK for all Multi-op and Assisted categories.
C. The use of a *PRIVATE *skimmer or *PRIVATE *skimmer network is *NOT allowed (outside the 500m circle) for any category.
D. Remote receivers (including Internet-based SDRs,) which are outside the 500m station circle, are *not permitted (strictly forbidden) for ANY category.*
We realize the words public and private are vague. The intent is that any QSO spotting network outside of the 500m circle be available for anyone to use.
