[CQ-Contest] CQ-WPX..A Modest Proposal

[lew at teleport.com]

Ladies & Gentlemen of the contesting Community,
    I propose moving the time limit for S/O for the CQ-WPX back to 30 or
even 28 hours, from the recently extended 36 hours. Why, you query??? Well
to save it.
    When the time limit was 30 hours, stations all across the US felt they
did have a chance at whipping the geographically, propagationally
advantaged stations north and east of the Hudson River. Critical decisions
needed to be made as to which part of the test to operate to maximize the
score. Now running 36 hours we "disadvantaged" stations call CQ into dead
bands for hours on end while the Righteous Coast uses the extra time to
log the ever-present European fields, widening the score differences.
    Contesting Newbies will query why we non-East Coast stations even
compete in the 3 major Dx tests. I can sell them on the idea that the CQWW
is competing against your own zone members for the bragging rights, and
that the ARRL DX test is competing against others in your call areas, with
real Dx making up the mults. The CQ-WPX though is a different animal with
mults coming from everywhere..some having real points, some with no points
and some with double points.
   Each major test has its attractions: the CQ-WW where everybody works
everybody for as long as they can, The ARRL-DX where the world works the
North American types for as long as they can. It is nearly a given that
a East Coast station will win the US for these 2 tests, which is accepted
pretty well because of the zone/call area recognition along with the
recently implemented changes in the write-ups of these tests....But Hey,
how about making the CQ-WPX a real nationwide horse race by implementing
back to 30 or 28 hours maximum that a S/O can run in the race. This makes
knowledge of propagation and band density much more important, giving the
CQ-WPX a different flavor for a DX test than the other two. On a larger
scale its similar to knowing when to jump bands in a sprint to maximize
the score.
    This would entice more contesters into a serious effort, if they felt
that by understanding the vagaries of propagation better than some of
their contemporaries, they would score higher. As it is, as we see the
scores from the right side of the nation go up and the central/west part
stations stay static..with the widening gap in the scores due to the
increasing time for operating. In a few years the "serious contesters"
from the non-east coast areas will cease to participate sounding the slow
death spiral for a really good contest.
    In anticipation of some of the responses to this post:
  Those of you who favor no time limits and feel that anything less than a
full 48 hours is not Grey Poupon..we already have the CQ-WW & ARRL-DX for
displaying the anti-somnolent gonads needed to score significantly there.
  A mark of a great baseball pitcher is having more than 1 pitch for the
game. Contesting already has the run/mult skills demanded of a top op in
the CQ-WW & ARRL-DX. There needs to additional pitches/skills displayed in
our contesting game by determining when to get on to maximize the
score...and the CQ-WPX had that to a degree, until it was lengthened..now
it just doesn't matter as much.
    Who makes the decisions? What are the feelings of the assembled?
   Thoughtful responses pro/con should be expressed. We're talking about
the future of Contesting here. Thoughtless flames will be countered by the
delete key and a corroding curse placed upon your hardware. Logic is
always appreciated in decision making. Emotion is always appreciated in
Love making. Most of us can tell the difference.
     73 and I remain,
      Lew
      Lew Sayre      W7EW
      lew at teleport.com




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