MAJOR CHANGES COMING TO POISSON D’AVRIL CONTEST
New overlay categories added, log-checking technology investments, and
new award program
The Poisson d’Avril Contest, one of the highlights of the radiosport
calendar, will see some major changes for 2016.
Pd’A Headquarters recently installed a state-of-the-art
liquid-nitrogen-cooled server farm and multi-core quantum computers
located on a small island off the coast of Maine and a network of
real-time SDR receivers scattered around the world with dedicated
fiber-optic communication links. Software algorithms provided by
Google and the NSA have been enhanced to provide the adjudicators with
the tools they need to enforce the rules.
The system is able to track every QSO from every entrant’s log in
real-time and correlate the data to the on-air signals. The system was
tested during the VK0EK expedition, where it was actually able to
detect QSOs before they happened. The system should provide
incontrovertible evidence in most cases of cheating, thereby avoiding
the inevitable protests, thousands of individual and class-action
lawsuits, and actual name-calling on the CQ-Contest reflector.
Since a few cheaters may still go undetected by the system, the Pd’A
is adding new overlay categories to allow entrants to declare their
transgressions and save the Committee time in the DQ process.
They are:
1. Single-operator Overlays:
a. <OVERLAY-CHEATER-EXCESSIVE POWER>
b. <OVERLAY-CHEATER-USED DX CLUSTER AND DID NOT CLAIM>
c. <OVERLAY-CHEATER-USED REMOTE RECEIVERS>
d. <OVERLAY-CHEATER-MULTIOPERATOR>
e. <OVERLAY-CHEATER-ADDED QSOS I DID NOT MAKE>
f. <OVERLAY-CHEATER-I’M NOT TELLING WHAT I DID SEE IF YOU CAN FIND IT>
2. Multi-operator Overlays:
a. <OVERLAY-CHEATER-LOTS AND LOTS OF POWER>
b. <OVERLAY-CHEATER-RUBBER CLOCKING MULTI SINGLE>
c. <OVERLAY-CHEATER-NON-INTERLOCKED INBAND>
d. <OVERLAY-CHEATER-MANY TRANSMITTER AND RECEIVER SITES>
According to Pd’A Chairman Doug Grant, K1DG, “While these new
technologies and overlay categories should make the adjudication
easier for our staff, the scores really don’t matter because I always
win and I’m not cheating. I am too busy to operate this year, but I
suspect my score from a previous year will be grandfathered in. That’s
just the way it is. Have a nice day.”
In a related action, the Pd’A Committee announced that it will no
longer be printing and mailing certificates for the event. “Since most
major contest sponsors have adopted the downloadable certificate
model, we’ll go along with the trend. But we’re taking it one step
further. We will be auctioning off our leftover inventory of blank
certificates on eBay so you can print your certificate on genuine Pd’A
certificate stock, which comes 500 sheets to a roll. Proceeds from the
sales will be donated to the Save Kingman Reef Fund and sponsoring a
Youth Team at WRTC2018 (both competitors under 60 years of age) ”.
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