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Re: [CQ-Contest] zero pointers etc

To: "Rick Dougherty" <nq4i@contesting.com>, cq-contest@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] zero pointers etc
From: "Barry " <w2up@mindspring.com>
Reply-to: w2up@mindspring.com
Date: Tue, 29 Nov 2005 08:44:33 -0500
List-post: <mailto:cq-contest@contesting.com>
Rick,
Dupes are a fact of life.  I don't think there's any way to avoid 
them.  However, your dupe rate was almost twice mine.  With 3300 
QSOs, my dupe rate was 2%.  Your's was 3.5%.  Why the difference?

1.  You're a multi, so you're CQing most of the time.  That invites 
more dupes.
2.  You're loud and on multiple bands, so you're spotted more.  That 
invites more callers.
3.  When you're spotted more, your call is busted more.  That is the 
biggest source of dupes.  I know it happened to me at least once.  A 
bunch of big gun EUs duped me Sunday afternoon.  It resulted from a 
busted call being spotted.  I sign my call EVERY QSO, so there's no 
excuse besides laziness.  That's why the 3 QSO penalty should remain -
 to encourage better operating practices (sorry, Yuri).

If your dupe rate is a bit higher than other multis, then you need to 
figure out why.  Is your call busted more frequently than others?  If 
so, it could be the callsign itself, or it could be the op is sending 
just a little too fast for the casual op.

Regarding 0 pointers, similar reason.  You're CQing all the time, 
sometimes on almost dead bands.  It's a great way to pick up the same 
country/zone mult.  Cluster spots also make the needed zone more 
obvious to contest logging software.  

73,
Barry W2UP

On 29 Nov 2005 at 6:46, Rick Dougherty wrote:

> Hi all...I have been analyzing my log to see if there are areas that I
> can improve my point per qso ratio...its amazing when you sit down
> after the contest and do a little analysis...first off...my stations
> are coded and I can see if the run or mult station made a qso..we made
> a gross number of qso's of 5286 qso's...of that total, 191 were
> dupes...further analysis shows that less than 8% were made on the mult
> station...that means that 92 % of the dupes called the run
> station...of our gross qso number we were called by 462 zero
> pointers...and its kinda amazing that some of these zero pointers were
> also dupes! 
> 
> Our average run rate for the entire station is 110 qso's per hour for
> the total 48 hours...a total of 462 zero pointers and 191 dupes is 653
> qso's that were totally useless information exchanged...or a waste of
> 5.9 hours for the entire station....
> 
> I gave a little thought to the process and come up with the following
> explanations:
> 
> 1. Our location has us beaming thru the major East Coast population
> areas to get to EU, while our competition has the back of their
> antennas to these same areas... 2. Most people don't have a
> logging/duping program....duh!!!! 3. The casual day to day operator
> really does not have any conception of the rules of the contest and
> thinks he is truly helping out...that meaning the stateside callers
> passing out qso's
> 
> 
> With all this aside, the 8% that were called by my MULT operators, I
> offer an apology...we will work on improving our error rate and
> reducing our wasted effort...but what can be done to inform the
> masses?? You want the casual day to day operator to call you in WPX,
> but since we don't get any points for same country in CQWW, it really
> distorts the playing field....is it time to step up to the plate and
> allow 1 point per qso for contacts within one's country??
> 
> de Rick NQ4I
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest@contesting.com
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> 

--
Barry Kutner, W2UP              Internet: w2up@mindspring.com
Newtown, PA                     Frankford Radio Club
        


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