Dumbing-down contests. Now there is an oxymoron. Contest exchanges have pushed the envelope of technology with prefill files, exchange guessing and embedded log entries in contest programs. K5ZD's su
David, Actually the principal is far from new. Back in the first recorded ARRL contest in 1927 contestants had to obtain an 'exchange' from ARRL HQ. This was sent to each station worked and used to v
Well, the WWYCers had a contest with a viable serial number. You start the number with any letter/number combo you want. You then transmit that alphanumeric sequence to the next station. That alphanu
Author: "Warren C. Stankiewicz" <nf1j@earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:29:25 -0800
The original question posed, as I recall, was trying to make the point of "it's broke, and we need to fix it." And there certainly have been a number of very creative suggestions as to how to go abou
Then the contesters need to rethink their priorities. Contesting is an exercise to improve operators skills, to become better operators. It is not an end in itself, (heresy alert!) despite how much f
Tom, I'm sure you can assign all the blame to computers. Think about what else came about in the late 80s and early 90s. Fully solid state transceivers, no tune linears, stacked antennas were all maj
But... the problem per se with the exchange (if any) is not the cut number, but the misuse/abuse of them. So we dump the exchange to a more generic, easier, less meaningful one... to avoid problems w
HOWL! You had me for a moment there, David! -73 de Mike N3LI - _______________________________________________ CQ-Contest mailing list CQ-Contest@contesting.com http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/li
will, it's not what's broken in the contest. DON'T FIX IT. The problem is that it's BROKEN, and here's why: 1. Contests are now about RATES-RATES-RATES and SCORES-SCORES-SCORES (one reason the hardw
So the solution to the misuse of cut numbers by a tiny handful of contesters... is to simplify the exchange so as to not inconvenience, let alone challenge, a participant? will, it's not what's broke
Contesters, I had a rather eye opening experience this weekend. I did some listening to K5ZD audio archives online. I was amazed at how quick he is to skip over a station that's not ready for a calle
Author: "Paul J. Piercey" <p.piercey@nl.rogers.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 08:04:41 -0500
Hi Ron, How is having arbitrary exchange elements "challenging"? The fact that it is being done by a small number of people now doesn't mean it won't increase in the future. Frankly, there have been
Wait a minute ..... Isn't that what the TPFs and GOSBs and other non-contesters think we do - send (and receive) gibberish fast? And we do it well! 73 Hank K8DD -- 'Never argue with an idiot. They dr
to a Al, Also keep in mind that just because you're not using packet doesn't mean you cant use the band map. Writelog has a setting whereby when you enter a station into the call entry area and pres
Author: "Paul J. Piercey" <p.piercey@nl.rogers.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Feb 2008 21:21:27 -0500
I meant "bad" gibberish as opposed to "good" gibberish :) 73 -- Paul VO1HE _______________________________________________ CQ-Contest mailing list CQ-Contest@contesting.com http://lists.contesting.c
The contest exchange in question, that is, for the DX side of the ARRL DX contest, requires a small amount of skill to decipher. Especially on CW, when cut numbers and abbrevriations are the norm, th
Author: "Paul J. Piercey" <p.piercey@nl.rogers.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Feb 2008 22:50:19 -0500
Hi Ron, I'll take one point at a time below. Granted. All I am saying is that it would make it a lot easier if everyone used the same cut numbers in the same ways. That's it. It's everyone's prerogat