DX-only CQing

[Steven.M.London at att.com]

I will go on the record as being opposed to a contest where only non-USA
stations can CQ.

With the possible exception of CQWW Phone and ARRL DX Phone, there is still room
for more stations (including DX) to be CQing.  If I can find the weak DX
through all the CQing W's from geographically-challenged Colorado, no one
else has an excuse !

Contrary to what has been said on this reflector, it takes
more than an "idiot" to sit there and wait for answers to your CQ's.
I suspect that those of you who think it is so easy to run have never turned
in a top-10 DX contest score for your region.
It's one thing to have a 50/hour rate
when the band is hot and you are at a big station - anyone can do that.
It's another thing to get that rate to 150/hour.  Or have a 50/hour rate
when the band is poor.
80% of the stations who answer my CQ's in a DX contest are weak enough to
require a significant effort to pull through their callsign and
exchange.  The ability to pull out the correct callsign when others can't
separates the "good" from the "great" operators.

On a more personal note, I live for a good run in a DX contest.  Take away
the run, and it's just another "Podunk State QSO Party".  We may not have
the longest or strongest openings from Colorado, but it's running DX that
keeps me coming back for more !

Steve London, N2IC/0
n2ic at longs.att.com

>From Steve Harrison <sharriso at sysplan.com>  Fri Jul 22 15:27:41 1994
From: Steve Harrison <sharriso at sysplan.com> (Steve Harrison)
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 10:27:41 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: THERE IS EVIL ALL AROUND US!
Message-ID: <Pine.3.87.9407221041.B22730-0100000 at eagle>



On Fri, 22 Jul 1994, Eugene Walsh wrote:

> It's terrible!
>  
>    .. OH..(Whimper).. Forgive Me (Sniff).. I can't go on....
>  
>      N2AA
> 
Here, here guy....everything's going to be alright.....here's a 
hanky....why don't you go with these two nice, young gentlemen in the 
white coats....they'll make sure you get some sleep..now, now, stop 
crying, everything's going....

What a sad, sad story...Steve, KO0U/4



>From Jay Townsend" <jayt at comtch.iea.com  Fri Jul 22 15:56:00 1994
From: Jay Townsend" <jayt at comtch.iea.com (Jay Townsend)
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 1994 07:56:00 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: K5GA's A DX CONTESTERS CONTEST
Message-ID: <m0qRM12-0003YAC at comtch.iea.com>

> 
> This idea may result in a fun contest to operate, but the geographically
> advantaged would still enjoy better propagation over a longer period of time
> into the target areas.

You are correct and that is indeed the secret which no one ever seems to
address. Time is the correction factor which does indeed equalize the two
coasts more than any other factor. Contests should be shortened so that the
hours of propogation become more equal. 

This can be seen from RTTY contests which used to run 24 to 30 hours with
some 30 of 48 and some 24 of 30 hours.  The West Coast has a decent chance
at playing. But, alas, the East Coast rules division has now even made CQWW
RTTY into a 48 hour event and we will see scores shift toward the East very
quickly.  Guess the contest manager is a K1 :-)


-- 
Jay Townsend, Ws7i  < jayt at comtch.iea.com >


>From Sig <0006481603 at mcimail.com>  Fri Jul 22 16:16:00 1994
From: Sig <0006481603 at mcimail.com> (Sig)
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 94 10:16 EST
Subject: A DX Contesters Contest
Message-ID: <50940722151605/0006481603PK2EM at mcimail.com>

Well, I have finally succumbed to posting some of my feelings about changing
rules in the DX contests.  I have read all of the current postings regarding
K5GA's note and feel it would be worthwhile for me to say something about the
subject.  I hope everyone that reads this will understand that I view contest-
ing as a "Hobby" and not the most important thing in my life (my wife may not
hold that same opinion).  I have been in the contesting game since 1954 and
have been very active in Sweepstakes, ARRL and CQWW DX contests at various
times throughout the last 40 years.  I never did like the SS, but participated
because my club, the Frankford Radio Club, was a serious contender for the club
award and we needed every point we could muster.  The DX contests have been a
different story, I have always liked to "DX" and these contests provide an
outlet for this aspect of the hobby.  I have tasted just about every aspect of
the frustrations there is over the years, even though I reside in a reasonably
good area of the country for DX contesting.  Of course, the really OT's will 
say I didn't have to endure the week long (or was it longer?) DX contests that
resulted in fewer QSO's than a good Left Coaster makes in a few hours today.
The rules sure have changed a bit from those days!

Getting back to K5GA's suggestion, I don't believe the outcome of the contest
would change one iota.  The rules of the ARRL contest used to include a limit
on the number of stations you could work in a given country (I think it was 5
or 6) on each band.  That essentially made the contest a S&P contest.  CQ'ing
was a waste of time unless you used directional CQ's like CQNOG or CQNODL.  
For those that didn't live in that era, NOG is "no G's" and NODL is "no DL's".
Now I think that sort of contest is fun if you want to level the playing field!
I don't think many of you readers would appreciate the high level of fatigue
one must endure near the end of one of these blasts when the QSO rate was less
than 1/hr!!  Oh, lest I forget, these contests ran for two (2) full 48 hour
weekends!

We have tinkered with the rules over the years and for what it is worth, the
most valuable changes made to date have been those that encouraged more part-
icipation from the DX stations and DXpeditioning.  You cannot change the demog-
raphy of the world's population; you cannot change how the ionosphere will be-
have on any given weekend; and you cannot change the outcome of these contests
without destroying the intensity and popularity of the beast.  Living on the
left coast or in a black hole was the decision of person living there.  Perhaps
it was for business, or ethnic, or health reasons, but they are all more import-
ant than this hobby.  Doing the best you can do; taking advantage of every new
technological advance; setting your sights on something achievable, like besting
your neighbor is all that can be expected.  Don't have us step backward and
stifle the competitive spirit of this aspect of our hobby by putting in re-
strictive rules into play.  I'm getting too old to endure the pain and boredom
of such restrictions.

Well, that was longer than I intended, but I also feel better.

73 and good contesting
Sig, N3RS (ex W3WJD)