Click here for RSS feeds or use the email signup form below to be notified about new radio-sport.net news updates
Donations are accepted. We appreciate the help!
Following months of review, the ARRL has decided to allow the use of the controversial CW Skimmer program only for multi-ops and single operators using assistance in ARRL contests, mirroring a decision made last year by the CQ WW DX Contest.
"The technology will be permitted in ARRL contests, but not in the Single Operator category," ARRL CAC Chair Dick Green WC1M told radio-sport.net
The rules change on multi-channel decoders, like CW Skimmer, was approved by the ARRL Program and Services Committee, which met just before the mid-January 2009 meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors.
Also approved at that time was a plan to give a new name to the "Assisted" category in ARRL contests, changing it to "Unlimited," now used in the November Sweepstakes.
"The next issue of the National Contest Journal will have an article about the CAC's activities in 2008, with a sidebar containing the official ARRL policy on multi-channel decoders and revised wording for the rules defining the Single Operator and Single Operator Unlimited categories," said Green.
The decision ended a period of interim rules assessments by the ARRL in which Skimmer was relegated to the Assisted and Multi-Op categories in some contests like the 2008 November Sweepstakes, but allowed for the regular single op category in others like the 2008 IARU test.
The ARRL move means that all major contests have now dealt with the Skimmer issue.
The new rules for the 2009 CQ WPX Contests include a specific reference to Skimmer as well as "frequency decoding technology." CQ WW refers to both the Skimmer and "Skimmer-like technology."
Another issue dealt with by the ARRL in recent weeks was remote operations during contests, as the ARRL CAC decided no rules change was needed.
"The CAC found that remotely operating a contest station is permissible, provided that the transmitter(s), receiver(s) and antenna(s) are all within the 500m circle required by (ARRL Contest) General Rule 3.7," said Green.
"In other words, if you want to operate a station in Bali from your home in Boston, you can do that, provided you are properly licensed in the remote jurisdiction and adhere to its laws and rules governing Amateur Radio operation," Green added.
Green said if you are unsure about the rule, just think of it this way - "the operator's location is irrelevant -- it's the location of the transmitter(s), receiver(s) and antenna(s) that matters."
"The CAC felt that remote operating of this kind is positive for contesting, in that it can allow participants to operate stations that are difficult or expensive to reach," said Green.
He said it also would allow people to participate in multi-op efforts, even when they aren't actually at the station.
"(This) could be a boon to recruiting for multi-operator stations (nothing in the rules prevents one or more ops to be physically located away from the station,) Green noted.
Look for more information on these rules changes and interpretations in the next issue of the National Contest Journal. You can find out more about that ARRL publication at the NCJ web site.
"I am a numbers guy," said WPX Contest Director Randy Thompson K5ZD.
"I love to look at contest scores from around the world and imagine what challenges or thrills operators were experiencing during the contest," he wrote in his WPX Contest Blog announcing the feature.
The CQ Contests have lagged behind the ARRL web site when it came to on-line contest scores for several years. Now WPX is the first to take a step in that hi-tech direction to challenge the ARRL.
"Search selections allow you to filter the database by year, continent, country, category, and callsign," wrote Thompson.
"You can select options to view band breakdowns, club names, complete operator lists, and change the sort order. The database also contains all soapbox comments from the logs, which can be viewed for each contest."
You can find links to the database on the CQ WPX results page.
Use of the Skimmer, or "Skimmer-like" decoding technology is okay for multi-ops and the Single Operator Assisted category, which will be officially now called "Unlimited."
Here is a quick rundown on Skimmer rules in popular contests:
