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[VHFcontesting] Distance Based Scoring

To: <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Subject: [VHFcontesting] Distance Based Scoring
From: Jimk8mr@aol.com (Jimk8mr@aol.com)
Date: Thu Jun 19 16:44:40 2003
In a message dated 4/11/2003 4:37:09 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
k3dne@adelphia.net writes:

> >SO why not base it distance between grid squares.
> >
> >Your own grid-1 point
> >Grids touching your own-2 points
> >Next circle of grids beyond adjacent-3 points
> >
> >etc.
> >
> >Of course something would have the be developed
> >differently for 6 meters, or you could win the entire
> >contest by only playing on 6 with a good Es opening.
> >
> >73s John NE0P
> 
> John,
> Exactly.  I had proposed (about 2 or 3 years ago) a distance scoring scheme 
> 
> that stopped at 3 or 4 points (I can't remember which now) I think it was 
> at 4 points.  All qso's that were at the 4 point grid circle and beyond be 
> worth 4 points max.  It was a variation of the W3ZZ March 2000 CQ Contest 
> article.  I never thought this would play well in June due to 6m e-skip 
> potential and basically make the contest a 6m contest but for September I 
> think it would play very well.
> 73,
> Ed K3DNE
> 
> 


An experiment with a distance based scoring system would be ideal for a 
"parallel" contest.  It would make a lot more sense than a parallel contest 
based on part time hours, limited bands, etc.  

As a practical matter, any such contest will be scored by the sponsor's 
computer, using Cabrillo logs as raw data.  Since the scoring is all done by 
computer, the scoring system need not be as simple as "1 - 2 - 3", as in 
integer point values. Integers were a requirement in the paper log days.  
Computers can handle 1.23, 2.05, or 3.14 just fine.

An entrant could be asked for his 6 digit grid, or it could be looked up from 
some data base.  Rovers, or stations that can not be located, would just be 
assigned to the center of the grid.

>From that information a distance could be computed for each qso, and a qso 
point value ( most likely not an integer) awarded, using a formula of the 
form:

           QSO Points =  1 + ( distance / K )

The value for  K  is open for discussion - maybe 200 Miles ?  Perhaps less at 
microwave frequencies?

It would reflect the fact that a qso from western EN91 to FN11 is harder than 
one from eastern EN91.  It would recognize the fact that two grids away 
east-west is a lot further than two grids away north-south.

Likewise, a special case could be made for six meters by giving increasing 
points for  qsos out to say 500 miles, at which time the points would start 
coming down.  And then at around 1200 miles they'd start going up again.  
Etc.


The additional work by the participant in such a contest would merely be 
typing a second address in the "Send To:" field when e-mailing the log.  No 
need for a magazine to publish results; web results would be fine. We'd just 
need some computer savvy folks to run such a contest.  It wouldn't require 
much advance notice.

Any volunteers out there?


Jim   K8MR
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