rhummel@monad.net (Rob Hummel): [CQ-Contest] WPX 0-point discussion

[Rob Hummel]

NK4G has some comments on my feelings about 0-pt QSOs. Trey also questioned
some of my opinions. Here's some illumination.

>As 2-time LP/AB champ, I see nothing wrong with the way the scoring is
>now.  (OF COURSE YOU DON'T....WITH A RARE PREFIX, OTHER 
>RARE PREFIX STATIONS HAVE AN INCENTIVE TO CALL YOU, BUT
>NOT YOUR FELLOW COMPETITORS WITH W1/K1/N1 PREFIXES.
>OBVIOUSLY, YOU DO NOT WANT TO LOSE THIS UNFAIR ADVANTAGE.  WHO WOULD?)

Some real vacuous statements here.

1. Unfair advantage? Hardly. I EARNED that callsign. The same opportunity is
available to every other ham. And if your earned your Extra, you could even
CHOOSE a good prefix. And advantage, perhaps. But hardly unfair. Besides,
Europeans hardly single me out of the pileup because of my prefix. I almost
always get called as "the something-Alpha station."

This is the same kind of "its unfair" whining that people engage in when
they seek to punish me for living in New Hampshire. (As if the 30-inches of
snow we got last monday wasn't enough punishment.)

2. Everyone has an incentive to call me, not just "other rare prefix stations."

>It would essentially turn the contest into three different contests.
>   1. European QSO party.
>   2. Field day (for non-east coast)
>   3. WPX (for east coast)
>(IT ALREADY IS....SO WHAT?  ELIMINATING ZERO POINT CONTACTS WILL MOST
>LIKELY  I N C R E A S E   PARTICIPATION.)

Can't say I agree. It's mostly 3, some 1, but no 2. At least not if you want
a score.

>Despite the fact that prefixes count as multipliers, this is a DX contest.
>An SM5 does count more, for example, than a WA4. It has a square-law
>effect because it adds both a mult and points.
>(FOR MULTIPLIER PURPOSES, A PREFIX IS A PREFIX.  THE ZERO
>POINT RULE SAYS "YOU ARE WORTHLESS, DON'T BOTHER ME!"

Again, just do the math. When I worked NK4 for a new prefix, it's anything
but worthless. It's worth an increment of all my other QSO points. Toward
the end of the some contests, that was nearly 1k points a pop. But its
worthwhile ONLY because working non-US stations allows me to build up my
point total.

>FInally, I'll answer any US station that calls me (BUT WILL YOU CALL USA
>PREFIXES YOU ALREADY HAVE TO GIVE THEM YOUR RARE PREFIX? I DOUBT IT.)

Don't doubt it -- believe with all your heart that I won't. Are we working
different contests? Exactly what winning strategy does calling other
stations to give them my prefix fall under? I'm trying to GET prefixes, not
GIVE them. If you want my prefix, come and get it!

>even if I already have
>their prefix. But encouraging US pileups of low-point QSOs will simply
>reduce my score (HOW? YOU WILL GET POINTS WHERE YOU DID NOT GET THEM
>BEFORE.  YOUR SCORE WILL GO UP.)

Nope. Instead of letting me make 3 and 6 points Qs by hearing weak non-US
stations, you'll be drowning me out with dinky 1-pt Qs. So instead of my
mults and points going up I'm stuck working W4s for 1 point each? It's not
worth my time. I'll just call "CQ outside US only" and refuse to work US
stations until the end of the contest.

 Rob Hummel (WS1A) <rhummel at monad.net>


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