[CQ-Contest] IARU Contest Comments

Tue Feb 10 08:41:37 EST 1998

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Sorry for the bandwith with this second copy of my message, but the first
onewas in HTML format, no easy readable from all the reader. 

For any comment please e-mail directly I will summarize on reflector. TNX
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Hi Folks,
February QST is out and the IARU 97 results showed up. Look at the Multi
Single Top Ten, and once again the results appear far out and away of range
.... The H22A guys finally broke the EUROPEAN supremacy, but they need to be
in a 5 points/QSO place to win, the HA crew has only 1 million point less
with around +900 QSO. The European leadership score is beyond any reasonable
number. This is my point of view, but I really think that the results clear
demonstrate that IARU is one on the most cheatable contest.

I don't want criticize the ARRL Contest staff, although their main work is
to collect the logs, call cross-checking , verify the unique, verify the
rules complaint's , apply the penalties and create the score list. ( I have
visited ARRL HQ some years ago and see all the heavy duty work to get the
most accurate possible results, NF1J explained that he spend a lot of time
to input paper log, several thousand QSO's, may be he his not so busy in
this latest e-mail log era)

I will point out what the published scores showing. Over 3500 QSO are quite
difficult to reach from Europe, it means an average QSO/h > 149 a very hard
target to obtain in only 24 hours. Admit that 150 QSO/h are sometime
reachable, but > 4700 QSO in only 24 hour is really an index that something
must be wrong. Are there someone that really believe that an EU station can
have a sustained rate of 196 QSO/h ?? ( Including peaks of 300 QSO/h , 10
min rules and QSY's into the respective mode portion band )

Even operating from P5 you can't work in 24 hour, with one signal on one
band, more that 4700 QSO's , high claimed contest stations,as ZD8, P4, HC8,
IG9, EA8, 9M8, ZX0, cannot maintain such rate in a WW Contest, why some
Europeans station can overcoming these guys only in the IARU Contest ???

I guess there is something we need to learn, possibly we misunderstood
something about the IARU rules ?

These are some personal consideration about this situation:

The Participants :

The number of participants in the IARU Contest can't be compared with that
one of a CQWW. A greater number of log's and multipliers characterizes the
CQWW weekend, so, a very high participation to justify the high QSO number
is not acceptable.

Propagation / Score
The IARU score points, with the 5 point cross-continent QSO, increase the
search of intercontinental QSOs, the season period is not the best for any
band, being the worst possible from Europe, concerning the low bands
propagation. The most profitable period in a 24 hour, based on the
statistical analysis of our last 4 years multi/single logs, is no more than
50% of the time, at least in such a low sunspots cycle period.

10 Minutes Rules

The 10 min rule is more rigid that the 10 min WWDX rule, it doesn't allow to
work a new multiplier in another band, without staying a least 10 min on the
band, so to compliant the rules, a M/S can have as many station as you want
that search mult's, but when one is effectively worked it's obligatory to
stay on that band for at least 10 min. As everyone know this is a very high
time consuming procedure, frequently you work the mult in the first 2/3 min
of the 10 min period and the rest of the time is used cqing with doubtful
high rate answers or S&P.

Mixed mode

This is the key of the black hole, IARU is the only one all band mixed mode
Contest, excluding minor and national Contest, and this unique feature could
be  that one to utilize for winning, I suppose. Simultaneously SSB and CW
signals could really boost the QSO number, obviously it's breaking the rules
point 5b, and could be difficult to check, as it's difficult to setup up,
and need a postcontest log wizard arrange. It's not so difficult to setup
when a multi/multi arrangement is available, in 500m (or....within property
limits) it's easy to realize two or more all band stations and with
segmented band filters (or large properties) and synchronizing the band
change to work CW and SSB simultaneously. To catch them you need to search
them in both mode and follow them during the whole Contest, but this could
be difficult, for the Europeans another Europeans are frequently inaudible,
due propagation constriction, and more important , who may interested in
this search in busy himself in the contest !!!

The postcontest arrange need a Computer wizard guy , and with such as cut
and paste technique create a full compliant rules LOG.

The Rules

I had exposed some years ago to K1ZZ, present K3EST , during the major
German hamfest , some doubts about IARU scores, suggesting some minor change
at the 10 min rules to avoiding this sort kind of uncertainty :

1) Adding a 10/15 min rule between the two mode, so no more log with
subsequent 15 min SSB 15 min CW QSO.

2) Allowing to work NEW mult without 10 min constriction as in WWDX Contest.

3) The final, and main, suggestion was to cross-check also the QSO time,
with a tolerance of no more that 3 min, disallowing in this way, the
postcontest log corrections to move QSOs around the Log in order to
accommodate other QSOs, or hide band changes.

These are my view points, but it want to be a starting point , I don't want
criticize anyone, I respect the Contest Committee and all the Contest
participants, but I want to understand, if I am in the wrong part of the
world, well this is an answer, if I am not so organized, well I will try, If
I have not read accurately the rules well I will look at them carefully, but
I am looking for an answer, without it I will not motivate to enter again
this year, I start the Contest and I know that some one is doubling my QSO
starting from the first minutes, how I can really get fun ????

Just about the recent cheating message I agree with NH7A regarding the need
to start to publishing the log on the net and let other people see what they
are up to.

After all IARU  activity is growing every year, next high solar sunspot
number can make Contest more fun , so I think that the Contest cumminity
need a clear answer to these question. If the IARU Contest will be used as
referee contest in the WRTC2000, that Committee must have in mind that for
the last five years the IARU results didn't reflect the operator
capabilities.
Follow the Top Ten Multi Op Box of the last 5 years, as you can see the
Hungarian, Ukranian and EU Russia boys had fantastic propagation, probable
there is the July hole that add +100 solar sunspot in that particular area
of the world !!!

Last but not the least , look at this interesting page, "Contester's View of
Dayton 1997" by K1DG, and read carefully the KR2Q and K3EST CQWW techniques
to break the rules.

http://www.yccc.org/Butt/dayton97_k1dg.htm

IARU 97

Call Score QSO Mult Point QSO/h
H22A 4.883.725 3.821 275 4,65 159
HG1S 3.847.788 4.713 252 3,24 196 Op's HA1TJ, DAC, AH, AR, AV, DAI, BN
RZ3Q 3.191.070 3.582 259 3,44 149
EU8T 3.019.710 3.698 255 3,20 154
HG6N 2.893.440 3.776 240 3,19 157
UR4E 2.863.686 3.617 216 3,67 151
IR4T 2.200.656 2.634 228 3,66 110
UU5J 2.189.734 2.609 254 3,30 109
OT7T 2.165.400 2.366 225 4,07 99
RZ9AZA 2.077.208 2.320 196 4,57 97

IARU 96
Call Score QSO Mult Point QSO/h
HGM1H 3.354.250 4.303 250 3,12 179 Op's HA1RH, AR, DAC, DAE, DAI, TJ
UU5J 2.058.308 2.510 266 3,08 105
RN4W 1.911.832 2.269 248 3,40 95
RU6LWZ 1.556.784 2.230 228 3,06 93
RZ3Q 1.480.414 2.515 194 3,03 105
RA6Y 1.478.000 2.452 200 3,01 102
IR4T 1.410.768 2.062 194 3,53 86
C40M 1.389.280 1.932 152 4,73 81
SL0CB 1.260.290 1.914 193 3,41 80
RK9AWN 1.259.881 1.256 99 -- 52

IARU95
Call Score QSO Mult Point QSO/h
UU5J 2.702.612 2.976 257 3,53 124
RS3A 1.965.816 2.366 228 3,64 99
IR4T 1.937.796 2.507 204 3,79 104
RY6Y 1.790.712 2.486 231 3,12 104
RK9XWH 1.481.385 - - - -
RU3A 1.466.630 2.054 199 3,59 86
RW0A 1.400.352 1.754 174 4,59 73
WX0X 1.379.856 1.924 204 3,52 80
HG5M 1.359.299 2.057 193 3,42 86
RU9D 1.272.556 1.706 166 4,49 71

IARU 94
Call Score QSO Mult Point QSO/h
HG73DX 3.237.894 3.713 253 3,45 155 Op's HA1AH, DAC, DAE, TJ, TW, DAI
UU5A 2.552.256 2.923 252 3,46 122
UT7E 2.300.400 3.252 200 3,54 136
IR4T 1.792.635 2.391 195 3,84 100
RU6L 1.777.888 2.185 220 3,70 91
C49C 1.662.880 2.316 158 4,54 97
T9A 1.580.128 2.790 176 3,22 116
RW6AWC 1.576.274 2.058 238 3,22 86
W5WMU 1.534.250 1.963 170 4,60 82
OK5W 1.443.224 2.102 178 3,86 88

IARU 93

Call Score QSO Mult Point QSO/h
HG73DX 3.195.000 3.862 250 3,31 161 Op's HA1AH, DAC, DAE, TJ, TW, DAI
C49C 2.077.507 2.943 149 4,74 123
LZ5W 1.737.120 2.425 231 3,10 101
UY7E 1.683.045 2.833 189 3,14 118
R6L 1.667.160 2.362 220 3,21 98
UZ6AXS 1.581.085 2.333 209 3,24 97
9A1A 1.470.084 2.464 154 3,87 103
UR8J 1.416.780 2.332 204 2,98 97
US7I 1.138.080 2.401 160 2,96 100
IR2W 1.060.785 2.015 165 3,19 84

73 de Fabio I4UFH
I4UFH  one of IR4T, IG9R, 5H1FS, KF6FBE
e-mail : i4ufh at contest.dsnet.it
MCC Marconi Contest Club HomePage : http://www.galactica.it/MCC/
IR4T    HomePage : http://www.galactica.it/MCC/ir4t_hry.htm
5H1FS HomePage & look-up log : http://www.qsl.net/5h1fs/index.html

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