A few points that I haven't seen made -
Some readers have made the assumption that operating more hours means your
score
will always be higher. That is not necessarily true. Operating 48 hours may
very
well NOT maximize your score. As a seriously competitive USA operator in DX
contests, I have often made the decision to take time off during slow rates on
Saturday night, so that I can be more alert and efficient during the higher
rate
European runs on Sunday morning. Was it the right decision ? Who can tell ?
It's just another of the many strategic decisions that a competitive operator
must make during the course of a 48 hour contest. I'm sure some competitors do
their best going 48 hours, while others actually do better operating 45, 42, 39
or even fewer hours. Thus, focusing on the number and percentage of operators
who report going the full 48 hours is not a useful metric for arguing for a
rules change.
The argument that the number of hours should be reduced for health reasons is
simply a red herring (non-USA/G readers, see
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=red+herring ). How
many
of us still smoke, are a little overweight, ride motorcycles, eat
fatty/salty/sugary foods, climb towers without industry-approved
equipment/procedures ? I bet every one of us engages in some pleasureable
activities that may not be optimal for our health. Operating many hours in a
contest is just another one to add to the list.
73,
Steve, N2IC
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