Now this... makes sense!
and here's my challange:QRP- no more than a measured 5 watts out.Antenna - two
wire and one verticalage of op - retiredLocation - Wy .... and I don't believe
that "WY" adds any db to my signalsingle op - single radio - single band - NO
assistance
UP for either 160 or 10 either one.. within the next two weeks.ANYONE????
Have a great day,
--... ...--
Dale - WC7S in Wy
> Date: Wed, 4 Dec 2013 11:30:37 -0800
> From: k3fiv@arrl.net
> To: cq-contest@contesting.com
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] Challenge Contesting
>
> The "don't fix what's not broken" and the "we'll never find a way that's
> fair" observations have a lot of merit. Maybe we're working on an
> unsolvable or nonexistent problem.
>
> Still, a lot of us seem to be unhappy. Maybe it's worth thinking about how
> to solve that problem, without flailing to change something that isn't
> broken and we don't think we can fix, and haven't had much success in
> changing anyway.
>
> After all the recent discussions rattled around in my head for a while, a
> new thought just popped up. At least I think it's new, at least to
> Radiosport, but it's an ancient idea elsewhere. Maybe it's been tried
> before and failed? KE3X's analysis of Gaming was especially useful. So
> here's an idea for the mill.....
>
> The focus of our unhappiness seems to be a perception that "it's not
> fair". Many of us think it's not fair, but don't agree on how to make it
> more fair. We still participate, and maybe send in logs, but we seek the
> experience of actually being in a fair fight, pitting ourselves against
> contestants like ourselves, and comparing our performance against theirs in
> a fair battle.
>
> In any contest, there are probably always at least a few people who I would
> agree are enough like me that competing with them would be a fair battle.
> The problem is that I can't find them. When I see the long list of
> scores, I can't tell which of those callsigns are the people who were like
> me, to see how I did in the company of my peers.
>
> Various "categories" split up the contestants into groups, but I still
> believe that no matter what group I am in, there are others in there with
> an unfair advantage. The only contestants who don't have this problem are
> the ones who have committed the time and money, or are simply lucky enough
> to live in the right place, to be "world class" in the particular contest's
> "unfair" scoring scheme.
>
> They have sacrificed a lot to get in that situation and they enjoy battling
> with others like them. More power to them. But the rest of us would still
> like to enjoy the experience of competing, against our peers, in a fair
> fight. How do we do that, in existing contests, without changing the
> contest at all?
>
> An idea popped into my head. I'll call it Challenge Contesting. The idea
> is that people in a contest compete with other people in the contest who
> are, in their own opinion, sufficiently like them to make it a fair
> fight. The key words are "in their own opinion". I'll compete with you
> if I think your situation is enough like mine that it's fair - whatever I
> think "fair" means. Of course you also have to think that it's fair -
> whatever you think that "fair" means. I think I have a decent shot at
> beating you. You think you have a decent shot at beating me. You're on.
> Meet me in the Alley in 20 minutes! It's a Challenge!
>
> Others might decide to join in, turning our Duel into a Brawl. But if a
> 300 pound wrestling champion, or a wiry guy wearing a black belt shows up,
> the rest of us might just flee for our lives. We may enjoy a fair fight,
> but we're not stupid.
>
> If you don't like fighting, think of something like chess matches. The
> point is that we enjoy a fair competition, measuring our performance
> against our peers. Could we bring that experience into contesting for the
> masses in addition to the top tier?
>
> To issue a Challenge in a radio contest, I need to know something about
> you. I won't "throw down the glove" until I know enough to believe I'm
> entering a fair fight. You also need to know about me. Then we need to
> both agree to compete. I Challenge you. You Accept. Meet me in the
> Alley. Game on.
>
> Perhaps another contestant notices our Challenge and thinks "Hey, I'm like
> those guys but I'm better than them. I Challenge both of them!" If we
> both agree that it's fair - whatever we think "fair" means to us - then we
> Accept. It'll be a three-way battle, within a group that all agree is fair
> - whatever fair means to each individual.
>
> More people might similarly Challenge us and we might Accept them. We
> don't Accept that wrestling champion, or the guy we suspect is a Cheater,
> or anybody else unless we think it's fair. Although even a one-on-one
> fight is fun, in Radiosport it would probably be more fun with more people
> competing -- but all would agree that it's a fair fight. Duels could
> readily evolve into Brawls, and that would be a good thing, more fun for
> all. Because of the nature of Radio, we could even compete in several
> Brawls at the same time in that same Alley. Sounds like Fun.
>
> So, how would we actually do this? It seems that some interesting
> mechanisms are already in place. We could do it just by email or forums
> like this one to start. That might get unwieldy if Challenges become
> popular. There are already web sites that allow you to register your
> station characteristics - where it is, what equipment you have, etc. I
> probably need more information in order to judge whether or not the "other
> guy" is enough like me so that I consider it fair. We'd have to come up
> with that list. What do you want to know about me before you Challenge me,
> or Accept my Challenge?
>
> We already have some mechanisms for registering our intentions before the
> start of a contest - e.g., registering teams in some contests. So we need
> a similar mechanism to enable the people who want to compete in one (or
> more) Challenges, either Duels or Brawls to find each other.
>
> We like to talk about our conquests afterward. We already have mechanisms
> such as 3830 to boast after the battle subsides. Some similar mechanism
> could help us figure out how we did in that Alley shortly after the dust
> settles.
>
> It seems like it should be relatively easy and straightforward for someone
> with the skills to put together similar mechanisms for Challenge
> Contesting. Contest organizers might do it, but they don't have to.
> Anybody can set up the mechanisms to arrange for epic battles. The
> contest builds the Alley. We do battle in it.
>
> We don't have to change existing contest rules at all. They are just part
> of the framework - they tell us about the Alley in which we're going to
> settle once and for all that I'm better than you in a fair fight.
>
> So, ... Here's an example. I'm K3FIV. I'll be operating from grid
> CM88eu, at a height of 400 feet ASL. I have a Flex-3000, 100 watts, and an
> 80M Carolina Windom hung between 2 trees at 30 feet, which i use on 80
> through 10. I'm in a rural area so there's very little RF noise. I can
> find maybe 12 hours, no more, in a weekend to do battle. I can use the
> Internet, but I'll agree not to if you want that to Challenge me. My rig
> has a Panadapter, which I find very helpful in contests, but I don't use a
> Skimmer. I've been licensed since 1963. I can still do CW but it gets
> real tough above 28wpm. Want to know anything else? Think you can beat
> me?
>
> Note that mechanisms for arranging Challenges might be readily adapted to
> other purposes. For example, instead of arranging for a collection of
> entrants to compete against each other, we could use similar mechanisms to
> arrange for a collection of entrants to act as a Team. Teams could form
> and then Challenge other Teams just as individuals do, and have fun in a
> fair - to them - competition. A Team mostly located in the Caribbean
> might Challenge a Team mostly located on the US East Coast. With apologies
> to West Side Story, we might name those Teams the Sharks and the Jets. It
> could be an epic battle. It could be an annual event. It could be a lot
> of fun both to participate and to watch.
>
> Challenges are somewhat like existing Categories, but offer much more
> flexibility. Most people don't think it's fair to compete against someone
> in a great location. But can your stacked-beams on a 120 foot tower fed
> by massive amps in the hinterlands beat a vacationing ham on a Caribbean
> island with a 100 watt transceiver and a Buddipole?
>
> Does your nasty HOA restrict you to stealth antennas? There are others
> like you. Think you're better than them?
>
> Do you have a super station but can't spend more than 12 hours in the
> chair? That young whippersnapper with a tribander and transceiver can
> compete all weekend and thinks he can beat you? What do you think?
>
> Challenge and find out! If you both think it's a fair fight, it will be
> fun.
>
> Anybody out there want to build some Challenge machinery? In much of the
> world it's winter now, maybe a good time to be inside at your computer
> rather than up wielding aluminum on a tower. It's probably also more fun
> than grousing about the status quo. Tell us all where the website is for
> setting up Challenges!
>
> So, we don't need to change rules or build new contests to have more fun.
> The Alleys are already there. We may not like them, but as long as we
> agree that it's a fair fight, why not. Game on?
>
> 73,
> /Jack de K3FIV
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