[PaQSO] CL Rules?

[Bill G. K3SV]

Ah, in the spirit of the "hobby"....if I'm operating at or near the 
county line sign....I think I would say I was on the county line. That 
is, assuming I stick to the state and township roads. If I hike up into 
the boonies and set up a station, just for the fun of the PA QSO party, 
I doubt that most folks care whether I'm squatting on the geographic 
division of one county or another. CU next year.  73 Bill

TwelveVDC at aol.com wrote:

>n3ntj at earthlink.net wrote:
>
>  
>
>> How close does a station need to be to a CL to be considered CL?
>> I worked a station that was within eyesite of the SCH county line while he 
>>    
>>
>was in COL.
>  
>
>> Will this count as a CL contact?  What are the rules for this?
>>    
>>
>
>
>   If this thread didn't get so much ink, I wouldn't have thought so much 
>about it.
>   But the more I do, the better it deserves an *Official* answer, no matter 
>how insightful or reasonable our experienced opinions may be.
>  Permit me to elaborate just a bit while playing the Devil's Advocate.
>  When this subject came up last in my circle, it was after drinking a lot of 
>beer.  So we had a bit of fun with it by inventing silly philosophical 
>arguments trying to outdo each other.  It went something like this:
>
>  W3ABCD: "Ok, a wire antenna might be easy to physically string across a 
>County Line.  But if it's a beam, what part of it counts?  Only the driven 
>element?  The director or reflector don't actually produce the signal..."
>   N23EFG: "What if you have a high SWR and it turns out it's the COAX that's 
>radiating most of your signal?"
>   K3WXYZ: "Actually, the signal doesn't originate in the antenna at all.  
>It's the SO239 connector on the back of the radio that has to be on the County 
>Line."
>   W3H6Q:  "I think it's where the OPERATOR actually sits down that must meet 
>the criteria."
>   A3LMNO: "You're all wrong!  The signal originates in the MICROPHONE!"
>   W32PAA: "No it don't.  It's your lips that hafta be on the county line.  
>Just shove a GPS receiver up your nose to verify your position."
>
>   We might've went further, but good taste dictates I stop here.  The point 
>is, although we all understand the intention of this rule, there is wiggle 
>room for *interpretation* (read, flexibility) because there is little 
>documentation on the actual application.  Try looking it up yourself and see.
>  It's not target practice, where the bullseye is one square inch across and 
>really does matter.  Physics gives the signal a broad enough pattern that a 
>few feet on either end don't really matter.  Our /R's, /M's and /P's do us all a 
>tremendous service activating counties in all conditions without the need for 
>us in warm dry shacks splitting hairs.
>  In the absence of specific written rules, I advocate a reasonable proximity 
>clause.  Let's call it the "RHP" for Rock Hurling Provision."  (I welcome a 
>more clever or sarcastic acronym.)  If a CL op can barehandedly hurl a stone 
>from his antenna base over the border marker, he's close enough to claim the two 
>or more CL positions.  This may allow him to find a safer place to set up, 
>and does not corrupt the true spirit of the rule.  The effort to get there in 
>the first place has already been honorably spent.
>   I expect there are some Type A's who will thoroughly trash my thoughts, 
>and that's fine.  But then they should press the contest sponsor to address the 
>issue through specific regulation so the matter can be put to rest once and 
>for all.  Otherwise it will become, "Don't Ask / Don't Tell."
>   Maybe this is a solution without a problem, I dunno.
>   Regardless, no flames please!  I'm just a fun-loving op spending my $.02 
>worth.
>   73.  Fraternally, Pete / NL7XM  (NHA)
>
>   P.S. If my call looks familiar, thanks for the point this weekend!
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