I don't see what's such a big deal. The cat got out of the bag long ago.
When I got into contesting back in the 1970s, you had to know the
prefix tables and the WAZ map. If you worked EA8M2 and logged him as
"59 23", you lost 3 QSO points and a (double?) mult. If you passed up
KG6DX thinking he was in California, you missed 3 QSO points and a
(double?) mult.
Today, you probably wouldn't make either mistake. Your computer would
tell you it's probably EA8MQ (some programs will even warn you that
EA8M2 is not a valid callsign under Spanish rules). It would tell you
he's in zone 33, not 23. You wouldn't pass up KG6DX as the computer
would tell you he's on Guam, not California.
You didn't get smarter. Your computer did.
Nor is Skimmer some kind of magic " you don't have to copy code
anymore" device. I am amazed how good Skimmer is, but it isn't
perfect! Use it, and you *will* see "busted" spots. Wanna go break
off your run to try to work P5WMU for that rare North Korea mult? The
operator who does that kind of thing is not going to be Top 10
material. The op with the skill to know who/where "P"5WMU really is
is the one who's going to make the boxes.
My personal opinion:
"Local" Skimmer - where all the Skimmer equipment complies with the
500m circle rule, is on the station's premises - should be perfectly
legal for all contest entries.
"Distributed" Skimmer - where data from Skimmers at other locations is
gathered over the Internet (or via other means) should make you an
assisted or multiop entry.
==
Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View, TN EM66
http://www.w9wi.com
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