RELEASE 006/2005 - SOME THOUGHTS
14.4.2005
The WRTC 2006 committee is proud and happy to announce the WRTC 2006 final rules. We would like to express our best thanks to all of the many friends who help us with suggestions and very innovative ideas.
We’d like to highlight a few points that were previously discussed with the amateur-radio community, mostly the contesters.
1. Packet Cluster: After several internal and external discussions the WRTC 2006 organizers decided not to permit the use of packet-cluster. This decision does not mean that we are against the use of this device in ham radio competitions.
We understand that the limitations on cluster use, imposed by the present major contest rules, without having the instruments to identify who are the competitors who have actually used the device in the contest, acts, in fact as an invitation for the improper use of such rules. We all know that a considerable number of packet users are competing unfairly on a non-assisted category.
We also understand that the way that is established, place the operators in rare countries, specially the double multipliers, as the main beneficiaries of it. Certainly they will not need to use the cluster because they will be posted all the time, and the multipliers will come to their frequencies.
In the other side, we also understand that the Cluster became an important instrument for the Dx Community and an incentive to the minor competitors to search for new countries during the contest periods.
So, independently of our decision regarding WRTC 2006, definitively, our position is to allow the use of Cluster to all competitors in normal contests, or to interrupt central clusters to work during the contest period.
In the WRTC competition, due the fact that we have one referee for every team, so with full control that no one will use the device, we decided to not permit the use of packet cluster.
2.Operator B activity: The WRTC 2006 committee express the wish that the so called operator B may have much more work, and of course much more fun, during the entire contest. This contest, in fact, is closest to the multi-single concept than a single operator one, provided that only one radio is transmitting. The operator B is allowed to do almost anything including the use of radio A.
We would prefer to have full M/S operation providing a more real “team” operation. The limits of time and space, imposed by the WRTC competition and the consequent interaction between antennas in the same towers, forced us to maintain the previous rules with some more flexibility for the Operator B.
3.Contests results announcement: The WRTC is the amateur radio contest of excellence. The teams must delivery to the referee their logs 15 minutes after the contest has end.
The WRTC 2006 Steering Committee publicly, raises the flag of decency and a urgent adaptation to the actual technology environment in the major contests procedures, emphasizing that this procedure shall be taken with all contest sponsors, setting up a 24 hours as deadline to the contesters present their logs.
In this line of judgment, we are totally in favor to drastically shorten the period of time to publish contest results. We understand that 10 months waiting for an official result is too far from the present technology reality.
The WRTC 2006 committee does believe that, contest competition really strengths the people fraternization, which is the amateur radio spirit, besides being a contest enhancement example.
We proudly invite every amateur radio around the world to attend the WRTC 2006 contest embracing this worldwide fraternization.
Finally, we’d like to quote: