with all this talk about equalized contest scores flying about I feel
compelled to throw in my thoughts.
I have done contests from texas all of my contesting career and as anyone
who has done contests from here knows -- it is not the place to be if
you want to win the dx contests. I have often wondered what it would
be like to be on equal grounds, to really see how my operating stacks up
when everything else is equal. I do not think that you could create a
system of scoring that would do this. I do not care how much computer
time or power you had. The only way to remove all doubt is to have
a true on-sight contest where everyone has the same antenna and radio.
I have always liked to get my score closer or to even be those stations
that are better equiped or that have better propagation. I have always
seen this as a challenge. I have also picked contests or catagories that
have put me on a more equal ground as far as the type of station I
would be compeating against. This meant doing sweepstakes in the low power
catagory instead of the high power catagory. I could make the top ten
in low power -- but would have nver done so in high power. It was not
easy to get in the top ten on low power it still takes alot of good
operating.
The other thing that I would like to say is that you have to get on and
operate and do things better and diffrently then the rest of the country.
In order to do better in contests you must operate them -- learn your station,
learn your propagation, and invent new tricks or ways of doing things
that will help you do better or win a contest. This is what KR0Y has been
doing from WM5G in the dx contests -- he has become a great op (from operating)
and has learned to use two radios better than anyone else. Soon the others
will catch on and then he will have to refine other areas -- to break new
ground. It is not the hardware that wins contests it is the operating.
The challenge of this propagation disadvantage is what drives us to find
new and better ways of making improvments in operating and station.
I have operated from big and small stations. Giving someone the keys to
the big station will not make them the winner of contest.
I would like to suggest that you all read Lew Gordon's "Contest Skills for the
Eighties" as printed in the july/august 1987 NCJ and reprinted in the january/
february 1992 NCJ. Lew understands operating and building a station in the
propagation poor midwest. I will close on a quote from Lew's peice.
"Randy, K5ZD, has stated that it's not fair when a tribander
on the east coast can beat an elaborate station in the Midwest.
Perhaps that's the challenge. Everyone recognizes that given
equivalent stations, a good operator in Sioux City, Iowa will
never beat a good operator in Boston in a DX contest. Even if
the Iowa station were expanded to "supperstation" status and a
"hired gun" was imported, the Boston station would still probably
win. Who said contesting was fair?"
Having said all that -- I think it would be interesting i
f someone
who is interested to come up with a scoring system that they think is equal
and to apply it to past contest efforts -- or run it along side the current
contest results. You could find out about the stations easily enough, just
ask what they are running. N6BV/1 is working on porpagation diffrences
and even comparing it to real log data to verfiy the porgram. Maybe he would
be a source for some data on the propagation factor -- if you really want
to do this -- just do it outside of the contest sponser and show that it
can work then who knows it might just become the next scoring system.
I would find it intresting - and I am sure others would as well.
seeya in the next contest
george email --- george554@austin.relay.ucm.org
wb5vzl
austin tx
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