+ AA6YQ comments below

I wrote that rule with the late Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT.

Enforcement is up to the awards branch.

That said, participants in an awards program first and foremost are supposed to voluntarily abide by the rules.

How do you know? Believe it or not many of those who do it brag about it.

+ "many" is not "all".


Or you have hams who are on air 24/7 on multiple bands with FT8 and similar modes, super humans who don’t sleep. You can tell by checking PSkReporter. Joe Taylor mentioned several stations who do this, in a presentation of his. He doesn’t endorse this practice.

+ It's not a violation to claim DXCC credit for a QSO with an operator who is known to frequently let his or her station run unattended if that operator was present and initiated the QSO.


I don’t know if anyone has been disqualified due to this rule.

I would like to see this rule enforced

+ The rule is unenforceable, as are several other DXCC rules.

as it would help quell some of the “FT8 is ruining ham radio” sentiment.

+ Ham radio has already been ruined by CW, SSB, RTTY, PSK, transistors, integrated circuits, microprocessors, satellites, and EME.

de AA6YQ