[CQ-Contest] Stew You

[k8cc]

On the subject of power multipliers, old timers will remember that SS
originally was one big competition with a 1.25 power multiplier for 100W
stations on CW, and 1.5 on phone.

Any contest with power multipliers and that has limited activity will favor
a QRP entry.  If the QRO guy quickly runs out of people to work, his QSO
total winds up not much higher that the QRP guy.  Furthermore, when the
bands are empty QRP QSOs are easier to make due to less QRM.  Finally, as
others have pointed out QRP stations are harder to work so fewer overall
QSOs are made.  All of this conspires against the QRO entry.

If activity is high, then all these factors flip around and the field is a
lot more even.

We've seen this same problem this past April in the Michigan QSO Party, an
event (like most state QSO parties) with a relatively low number of
entrants.  In MIQP, the power mult is 1 for KW, 2 for 100W and 5 for 5W.
The winner, NU8Z put in full time (twelve full hours) with 100W.  #2 was
KT8X who put in twelve full hours with 1.5KW.  K8AQM put in two hours with
5W and wound up #6.  'AQM sent me an e-mail immediately after the event
saying that "the rules needed to be changed".

We've decided for MQP 2000 to do away with power mults and simply have
separate categories for high, medium and low power.  Our experience has
shown that power mults encouraged people to run QRP, and indirectly to make
fewer QSOs.

73,

Dave/K8CC



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