OR...look at possible scoring methodology changes.
First let me make it clear that I am NOT "slamming" or in any way trying to
disparage what N6NB and crew have done...I, personally, am STILL impressed that
anyone would put together three vehicles with 10 bands (not trivial) and drive
from Southern California out to West Texas (and back afterwards) to be able to
cover 22 Grids during a January contest.
I AM, however, using the score from their operation as an example (with help
from the ARRL Scores Database information) to illustrate HOW the scores got so
large for the way that they operated
One part of what amplified their scores is that the contacts on 2.3G and up are
worth EIGHT QSO Points in January, so there is a further multiplying effect
from the higher band equipment. Looking at January 2005's results, let's face
it, approx. 2/3 of their QSO points came from just shy of 800 (approx. 40%) of
their QSOs - on 2.3 through 10 GHz. The 902 and 1296 bands contributed another
1/6 of their QSO Points...heck, it's almost a wonder that they bothered with
50, 144, 222 and 432 (though they DID and it appears that is where they worked
the predominant quantity of the quoted 3% of QSOs OUTSIDE the pack). ANOTHER
possible change is to align QSO Point Values for the different bands for
January with those for June and September.
BACKGROUND STATEMENT: Fixed stations can work Rovers ONE time per band for each
grid the rover visits. Rovers (not *just* Packs) can work each other multiple
times per band for each grid they visit AS WELL AS each grid the other rover
visits.
PROPOSED SCORING METHOD CHANGE: Change the scoring so the rover can only take
QSO Point credit for ONE QSO from another Rover for each Grid in which that
other rover is contacted...that's some "equality" with what fixed stations can
get for working rovers.
HOW TO DO IT: It shouldn't be any harder to figure out/calculate than it is to
calculate Multipliers where the same Grid Square may be contacted multiple
times but ONLY ONE CREDIT is given for that multiplier (per band). Just do a
similar check for Rover/Grid Square combinations and only take QSO Point credit
for ONE of the QSOs.
EXAMPLE OF IMPACT: This reduces the multipliying effect of Pack Roving. Looking
at the scores from the three rover 'pack' in January 2005, they could only get
QSO Point Credit for 22 Contacts from each of the other rovers in the pack, 44
total. "Guessing" that 190 was the number of contacts on each band made with
the other pack members (since 191 is the lowest Band Q total listed but it's
also possible that they just missed some of the combinations with each other),
*that* alone creates a drop of 146 QSOs 'eligible' for QSO Points on each of
the 10 bands...which adds up to a reduction of 6716 QSO Points (to approx. 1/4
of what the QSO Points were previously). The scores would STILL be on the order
of 1/2 million apiece, still "Large" but not so far above all the
others...perhaps more in line with an appropriate level of 'reward' (score) for
visiting TWICE the number of Grids as their nearest rover competition.
POTENTIAL UNDESIRED IMPACTS: There might be some issues in where this would
create an inequality for rover to rover, where a "stop 'n shoot" rover (sets up
and stays at a spot for awhile) - let's call him W9SNS/R, happened to be in the
same area as a "run 'n gun" rover (mostly moving through and around grid
corners, stopping only briefly) - let's call him K9RNG/R. W9SNS/R would want to
work K9RNG/R as he moved around a grid corner but K9RNG/R would not get further
QSO Point credit as long as W9SNS/R was in the same grid. If the bands were not
'active', I'd hope that K9RNG/R would make those QSOs in the spirit of
"operating practices that allow as many stations as possible to contact them
(rovers)" and, hopefully, W9SNS/R would eventually move and set up again and
make a contact with K9RNG/R, potentially from a grid where K9RNG/R had been
previously...K9RNG/R WOULD get QSO point credit and maybe a new multiplier but,
in this case, W9SNS/R would NOT get any further QSO point cr
edit (unless K9RNG/R was running so fast that he was in a new Grid).
There are probably other undesired impacts that I have not recognized.
Open for discussion or comments to 'just me' (I *hope* I am not going to need
my asbestos suit ; - ).
Thanks for reading...73, JK
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