Time for change with packet

Once in a while we see angry discussions about how packet cheaters should be caught and punished. Techniques for chasing self-spotters have been shown and the virtues of non-packet operating have been loudly presented. The discussion usually revolves around how the users of packet break the rules and take an advantage by doing so.

I am bored of this. Not because it has many times been proven that packet does not actually improve your score that much compared to e.g. huge power or big antennas, not to even mention about what a good DX location does to your score. Not because I could not care less how the pileups of rare DX stations grow rapidly after a packet spot. Not because enforcing the passive packet use rules is difficult, especially if you want do it with an acceptable level of confidence. Not even because I haven't seen a new argument in fifteen years.

I am bored because the discussion continues around a totally wrong subject. I am not that interested in technicalities about how the packet rules could or should be enforced. The really important question is that why are so huge amounts of contesters ignoring the packet rules?

It is far too easy to say that they are doing it because it brings them an unfair advantage. To lock one's mind into that simplistic idea is avoiding the hard issues. Getting an advantage is of cource one of the possible reasons for braking the rules, yes, that's true, but the vast majority of the people still do respect most of the rules even when breaking them could provide an advantage and when following the rules causes some minor inconvenience. In general, in any society, it is only when the rules are felt to be clearly injust or totally meaningless when large amounts of people tend to rebel. Luckily the standard procedure is just to ignore the meaningless rules instead of making a deadly revolution each time one dislikes a rule or law. This makes sense. The way it is, the society stays relatively calm and the bad rules are at some point of time quietly forgotten.

One should note that people are practical. If a traffic signal is broken and it shows only red, practically all people will eventually pass the crossing despite of the red light. I've seen a test of this in TV. The crossing had very little traffic, and the signal was set to be red for ever. There was one fellow who endured half an hour, the most people drove against the red light after a couple of minutes. Indeed, every single test person eventually broke the law. Yet, nobody in his right mind would demand them to be punished.

So how is this related to packet? Well, let's see some observable facts. A fact is that most of DXers have long ago accepted packet as the standard procedure. You don't need any other proof than just to look at how it only takes from half a minute to some two minutes to form a pileup whenever some rare DX shows up in the bands. Look how well informed the DX community is about who's going where and when. It is the same with most of the contesters. It is obvious to me that the vast majority of contest participants do not see any value at all in the very existence of any rules regarding packet. Packet is the mainstream. Not using packet is out of the mainstream. It has been so for more than a decade already. It is only the contest rules that are lagging behind.

The sad part of this story is not only that people are braking the contest rules but the fact that the rules do not respect the values the people have alltogether. So it is natural that the rules are broken. You may argue that a rule is a rule and as such should be followed and that's it, end of discussion. This does not change the perception that, in general, the packet rules are seen unjust. It is as simple as that. You may like it or dislike it. You may have whatever arguments to support your views about packet. You may argue that there is a class for those who want to use packet. Note that to the general public this argument is void, as the rules do not respect the mainstream view, which is that packet should be allowed not only on high power but also on low power and QRP classes. Because of this, the vast majority simply does not care any more. The packet restrictions have lost absolutely all meaning to them. They have more important things in their minds. Perhaps they even spend some time with their families instead of sitting all the time in front of the radios. They just use packet and enjoy it and leave the complainers complain. If you want to address this vast majority of contest participants, you should finally stop complaining and change the rules to accept the majority view.

I still hear raging about supposedly unfair advantages when using packet. Some areas don't have any packet access etc. Come on, fellows. Are you really wanting to create an equal playground for all contesters? You are? Ok, let's see where this target setting really leads us. Let us for once tackle the real issues instead of banging on about packet.

So the question is that how should the rules of the major DX contests be written if all unfair advantages are removed. It is a well known fact by all contesters and especially among the top class contesters that the very most important external factor for success is QTH. That is why the winners go to EA8, P40, PJ5, and ZD8, just to name a few good locations. In order to equalize the chances, one should automatically disqualify all participants that are in rare DXCC locations. Yes, this would take away an essential element of DX contesting, but remember that right now our goal is to make the playground as equal as it possibly can be. The other significant contest score increasing factors have been statistically proven to be power and antennas. Thus, one should forbid linear amplifiers and large beams also. Now we have done some real things to equalize the chances and there is a slight possibility that the driving force in the scores actually is operator skill and persistence.

I can hear angry roaring. What about all the people who have spent countless hours for building their superstations that are now useless? Well, sorry, remember the goal, to equalize chances. Too bad for the big guns. This might mean that some of the small stations beats the big ones. Note that this indeed was the purpose of this exercise. Besides, I'm pretty sure that those very good operators who win now would win also in this new scheme. It would just be more evident that they in fact are very good operators. Remember who has won WRTC three times.

So now we summarize the new and improved classes for the CQWW and other serious DX contests. The Multi Multi, Multi Single, and Multi Two would continue as they are currently. All the packet restrictions are removed from all the classes, this includes removing the prohibition of self-spotting. Go for it, if you like it. It will be totally useless anyway when thousands of stations self-spot. Thus Single Operator Assisted class is eliminated as unnecessary and Single Operator High Power class is also eliminated as being in contradiction to giving equal chances also to those who do not have enough money for an amplifier. Remember that one idea was also to forbid big antennas for all single operator classes. The limits that the Tribander Single Element class of WPX currently have are an excellent equalizer and represent well the setups that the ordinary hams have, so let us take those into use for all single operator classes. The new mainstream contest class is thus the new Single Operator Low Power class, which is in effect similar to the current SOLPTS of WPX, except that packet is allowed. Naturally, the Single Operator QRP class continues. Remember that as the target is to equalize the playground, all the entrants who are in any of the DXCC need list's top 200 entities are disqualified from the single operator classes.

As was earlier noticed, disqualification of all rare DX stations totally from the contest will without any doubts diminish interest in DX contests. First, there would not be anyone to travel to rare places for contesting, which in itself would not be much of a problem as the travellers represent a small minority of all participants. However, the knock out effect would be that many of the ordinary contesters who only make a few hundred contacts and primarily chase DX would also have less interest in participating. Thus, we must make some adjustment to the previously mentioned great principles to equalize chances. The solution is surprisingly simple. We create an additional class. Let us call it The Classic Top Operator Class. This elite class would be for the rare DX only and it would mimic the current SOHP class as closely as possible. Thus, only the contesters in the DXCC need list's top 200 entities are entitled to participate. Packet, the great evil, is forbidden. We set the power limit to a modest 15 kW to accommondate silently accepted practices and one can use whatever antennas one has money to build. Naturally, CTOP class results are listed separately from the single operator class results.

I am sure that my modest suggestions would solve all disputes regarding packet. I am waiting for the encouraging comments and a rapid adoptation of these new contest rule principles in the major DX contests.

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