On 21/08/2020 21:06, SM5AJV wrote:
UPDATE
After publishing the rules for SAC 2020 we have got some reactions on
allowing for assistance in all operator categories.
"Allowing for assistance in all operator categories" may be true, but
it is not the whole truth. What you (the SAC Committee) have done is
abolish the SO Unassisted category. This benefits no one but you - the
contest sponsors.
The reason behind the
change is that we want to reduce the number of operator categories and
plaques.
That is nonsense. I see no evidence of a shortage of plaque donors
for SO Unassisted. Again, reducing the number of operator categories
benefits no one but you - the contest sponsors.
The reduction will also make the log handling and checking easier
for the log checker.
That's true - but it also represents an abdication of responsibility
for verifying that the leading unassisted entries actually were
unassisted, for which there are long-standing and well-established
techniques. Did anyone on the Committee contact the sponsors of the
major contests (CQ, ARRL, IARU) to see how they do it? I suspect not.
In order to recognize operators that prefer not using any assistance we
have decided that you are able to state if you operated without any
assistance when submitting the log. Operators who participate without
assistance will be marked with (N) after the call in the ranking lists.
That looks like a cop-out to me. I invite the SAC Contest Committee
to address its responsibilities and reinstate SO Unassisted now -
before the contests next month.
73,
Paul EI5DI
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