Which may be true but won't be a win-win for ever, because the contest will
eventually disppaear up its own orifices!
There's a side to this which hasn't been explored. The fact is that contests
do cost money to administer (postage, computer systems and time,
certificates, plaques, etc.). Quite apart from the uncosted adjudicators
time (or costed in the case of ARRL).
When CQWW started it was a MUCH smaller event than it has become over the
years. To a large extent the tail is now wagging the dog. Some years ago CQ
tried to offload the contest, but no other body would take it on. In the
case of contests organised by national societies, they generally started as
a service to members. That is probably still true or national contests
(sweepstakes in USA, most CHF contests) but in the case of international
contests many entrants are not members and those who are members could
rightly ask why part of their membership is going to subsidise non-members,
especially when times are tough.
As for plaques, these are usually donated by external sponsors, but this
sponsorship doesn't grow on trees - sponsors support sporting events because
they get cheap publicity, but that doesn't really work with ham radio
contests.
Yes, some contests continue to provde an excellent results and awards
service (WAE, Russian contest, etc. have been mentioned) but usually these
are newer events that are still in the flush of enthusiasm, with financing
signed up for a while. Maybe it will dry up eventually. Or there are
contests like the Internet sprints in Europe and North America where
everything is done by Internet and costs are kept to an absolute minimum.
However, I suspect that formula may be stretched if they got the number of
entries that we see in CQWW.
So where should the money come from? No one seems to have answered that
satisfactorily yet. In most sports it comes ultimately from the audience
(whether those who visit a stadium, or from TV royalties). We don't enjoy
that in our hobby. Hence the dilemma. Unless anyone has a satisfactory
answer, these self-defeating posts on the reflector will coninue ad nauseum!
Don G3XTT
On 8/7/05, Rick Bullon <kc5ajx@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Ok here my solution to the problem. If I don't subscribe to CQ ( and I
> don't) I will never see the results. If I win a cert or plaque I will
> never
> see it. So I will operate the CQ contests but never submit a log. If more
> of
> us do this then the log checkers at CQ will see the number of submitted
> logs
> fall sharply and maybe the will realize the problem. Also I will be a Nil
> in
> everyone's logs that submits a logs thus more people will be upset I will
> have fun in the contest and not miss anything as CQ doesn't do anything
> but
> make the rules No results for non subscribers and not cert. or plaques for
> the winners
> For me it is a win win solution
> 73
> Rick
> kc5ajx
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
>
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