[CQ-Contest] Keep the Focus on INNOVATIVE IDEA

[Bruce Sawyer]

N6TJ tossed out a suggestion which every writer I have seen has supported
enthusiastically.  It's beauty is in its simplicity, and that one simple
change would do more to reduce the geographical inequities in the current CQ
scoring systems than anything I can imagine.  For a few days after Jim's
post, there seemed to be a virtual tsunami of support for Jim's Y2K scoring
proposal.  But then came the suggestion to go one step further and look at
different zones in the same country, in order to reduce the penalty people
in large countries have.  "No", somebody said, "let's exclude zones that
touch your own zone."  Then came the suggestions to look at making date
changes.  At this rate, we can expect to see a proposal from the ARRL any
day now that there should be bonus points for working slow-code extras.

May I suggest....STOP!  If we want anything ever to happen with this there
needs to be a focus on this one key issue.  I think Jim had it right in his
first post.  You can't go back and look at previous results to see what
effect this would have had, since a lot of stations have based their
strategy on trying for 3 point contacts rather than just accepting 2
pointers.  (This is particularly true on SSB--just watch how much the
Caribbean run stations spend down below 14150.  It isn't because they can't
handle the pile-ups above there!)  The change needs to take place at an
agreed-upon future date.  2000 is as good a year as any, although personally
I'd rather see it take place in 1998.  But what is important, I think, is to
build a ground swell of support for this one simple change:  3 points for
working a different country, period.  There are sure to be some
drawbacks--falling real estate values in Aruba, for example.  But does
anybody doubt it would lead to more activity and more QSOs for all of us?

I'd really like to see this thing happen...so let's not lose the momentum by
starting all the old squabbles all over again.  Save that for next year.

Just an opinion...Bruce, N6NT



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