CQ-Contest
[Top] [All Lists]

[CQ-Contest] Sweepstakes: Should I be penalized for getting mylicense in

To: cq-contest@contesting.com
Subject: [CQ-Contest] Sweepstakes: Should I be penalized for getting mylicense in 2000?
From: "D K7GK" <k7gk@hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 07 Nov 2006 13:51:45 -0800
List-post: <mailto:cq-contest@contesting.com>
Since operating in Sweepstakes for the first time a few years ago and 
falling in love with this contest, I wondered - am I at a real disadvantage 
given that my check is 00 or ten dahs on CW? Finally I decided to do a 
simple estimate and it goes like this. Suppose my average sending speed is 
32WPM (I typically start at 35 and end up at 29 by the end) and let's 
disregard the fills. Sending 00 takes 41 dots (from here on dot is the 
amount of time to send a dit, dah is 3 dots, space between letters is 3 dots 
and so on). Sending 78 (average length check) takes 31 dots and sending 55 
(shortest check) takes 21 dots. Using "PARIS" as a typical word for this 
estimate I get that there are 42 dots in a word and 3 extra dots for space, 
a total of 45 dots. Therefore in a minute there are 32 words or 32*45 = 1440 
dots, or one dot is 1/1440 minutes long. This means that in every exchange I 
lose (41-31)*(1/1440) = 1/144 minutes compared to a check 78 and twice that 
to check 55. Having made about 1200 contacts in the last two sweepstakes 
this means that I spent 1200/144=8.3 extra minutes on sending long check 
compared to an average operator and 16.6 extra minutes compared to a lucky 
one. This roughly translates to 7 or 14 QSOs less given the average rates. I 
am well aware that life is not fair (I do contest from the Pacific 
Northwest), but am I being robbed?

73, Denis - K7GK

_________________________________________________________________
Stay in touch with old friends and meet new ones with Windows Live Spaces 
http://clk.atdmt.com/MSN/go/msnnkwsp0070000001msn/direct/01/?href=http://spaces.live.com/spacesapi.aspx?wx_action=create&wx_url=/friends.aspx&mkt=en-us

_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>