We've proposed everything from handicaps to power limitations and there
appears to be no clear consensus pro or con, high or low, east or west.
The bottom line is that there is no way to level any playing field so
that only operator skill is measured in the results. Stateside or DX,
geography, hardware, software and operating conditions (weather,
logistical support, etc) will never be translated into a divisor or
handicapping factor. Add to the obvious the "on any given day, at any
given time" propagation factors and you have random chance on top of
an infinite list of variables.
If you wanna win, you gotta build it yourself at the most adventageous
geographic location, you gotta get an invite to such a station and/or you
gotta be able to exercise your air travel card at the appropriate times.
For the rest of us, how about just having the contest sponsors tabulate
the results so that we can compare how we did with others with whom we
would like to compete? It sounds parochial, but isn't that the bottom
line? Consider regional intra-contest competition using the major grids of
the maidenhead locator system (CN,DN,EN,FN,CM,DM,EM,FM,DL,EL)?
Sounds too simple, huh? Okay, keep looking for ways to legislate equity!
73 and DX,
Tom, K5RC
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