[CQ-Contest] The Great WPX Debate

[lew at teleport.com]

On Tue, 14 Apr 1998 tgstewart at pepco.com wrote:
> *How about the JARL contests or Asia sprints or VK/ZL contests?
      These are fun tests with great competition, but are not world-wide
tests that fairly allow me to compete against you. I've won the JARL test
a couple of times, but haven't played in it for the past few years.
Winning is nice, but the context of the win is important. I'm pimping for
a world-wide test where continental U.S. ops can compete against each
other...making the CQ-WPX such a test would keep Radio Contesting healthy.

> *I'd like the chance to compete for a free round trip to JA from the East
> Coast!
      You *CAN* compete from the East coast...but there's no way you're
going to win!  Thats due to geography. The same geography that will never
allow a Black Hole or West Coast op to win a CQ-WW or ARRL-Dx or now the
CQ-WPX. How many ops from the East coast enter the JARL test? Thats why in
a few years the participation in the WPX will drop except from the East
coast.
    The CQ-WW and the ARRL-Dx tests have enough regional competition and
the results are structured so that participation will remain good and
numbers of participants will increase. The CQ-WPX is evolving into 3 east
Coast ops with great scores...all earned with hard work and great
technique..then the rest of the ops trailing by several million points.
Doesn't take a genius to see where this will lead.  The same reason you
don't play in the JARL test is the same reason why serious contesters will
shun the CQ-WPX.
> *I think we should have double points for 80 meters during SS so we can
> "beat" 5 land on occasion!
     Way Cool...
> *Perhaps its time for a separate reflector for this topic?
       Naw...We can argue a bunch, but until the masses convince the test
sponsor nothing will happen...until the numbers of players drop. By then 
there will evolve a geographically independent fairly scored world wide
test that will capture the attention of the few serious contesters that
have survived...or we'll all be playing golf instead..
  
> 73, Ty K3MM
> (Damn, I opened my big mouth!)
      Glad to hear from you!
  73 and I remain,
     Lew

         Lew  Sayre   W7EW                lew at teleport.com
         P.O.Box  3110                    Fax 503-391-2258
         Salem, Oregon 97302              160M thru 1296MHz




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