1. There is certainly a lot of inequity in the current 1-2-3 point,
continent based scoring system.
2. Integer QSO point values made sense in the days of paper logs.
Today
there is no reason to require QSO points to be integer values.
3. QSO points for DX QSOs should be awarded in the form of QSO
Points =
1 + ( D / K )
Where D is the distance between stations, and K = a constant to
yield the
desired QSO point difference between close and distant stations.
4. Zero points for QSOs within the same country in DX contests is
still
OK. For WPX, not.
5. D may be the distance between zones; between countries (or
states/regions in large countries); between each station if precise
locations are
known. In practice, it's a tradeoff between precision and practicality.
6. K may be different for different bands. For example, a smaller
number on
the low bands to yield higher point values for long distance QSOs.
7. For distances in miles, I'd suggest K = 3000 on the high bands.
So a
QSO to the antipodes would be a hair over five points. A QSO from
EA9 to
ZB2 would be worth 1.01 points (or whatever the exact distance
yields) if
country data is used.
8. On 80 or 160, K = 1000 to 2000 sounds good.
9. Such a scoring system would not need to replace the current 1-2-3
system. Just use it to provide a second set of scores. For now, I
assume such
scores would be reported only on the web, not in print magazines.
10. Sponsored plaques or other awards for distance based winners
welcome.
73 - Jim K8MR
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