[CQ-Contest] SO2R "advantage" myth

[DougKR2Q at aol.com]

Gents:

I would like to suggest that in the major DX contests (not the
domestic jobs like SS), that all the "extra mults" the SO2R guys are
perceived to work (either by the non-SO2R types or by the SO2R types
themselves) is a bunch of nonesense.

Several (many?) years ago I asked some SO2R types for their logs and
to ID what they felt they worked as "new ones" on the 2nd radio.
Since I'm on the CQWW Contest Committee, I realized that I could look
at all the logs directly myself, so I stopped asking.

Method:  

1.  Identify "new mults" worked on any band that is obviously not the
running band.

2.  Go through the entrants log and record at what times they were on
the band where the "new mult" was picked up but now they were running
on that band.

3.  Look at those timeframes and see if the "new mult" would have been
available on that band when they were on that same band (at some other
time) when they were "running" on that band.

4.  Count up the number of "new mults" that had NO OVERLAP.  That's
the real answer.

In other words, persume no 2nd radio and see how many of the "new
mults" (which were worked with the 2nd radio) they probably would have
worked anyway when they were on that band (assuming just one radio).

Result?  Precious few.  SO2R is more challenging for the op doing it.
They feel that they are being "more efficient" or "having more fun" or
"challenging themselves" or "preventing boredom while F1'ing" etc.
Anyone who thinks they picked up "100 2nd radio mults" is only kidding
themselves.

When I did the one-on-one survey, many guys "counted" working a DL or
F or G on the second radio as a "new mult" because (at the time) it
was.  Does anyone really think that they wouldn't have worked those
anyway?

The only "real" new mults occur when you work a M/S or SOAB DxPedition
on the 2nd radio and then you would have just gotten "unlucky" by not
being on that band again when they were.  This is especially true on
the low bands.

Can you work "new mults" using SO2R that you wouldn't have with just
one radio?  Sure.  Would it make a HUGE difference in score?  Nahhhh.
Would forcing the SO2R type to use just one radio allow the current
non-SO2R types to suddenly be "competivite?"  I'm not holding my
breath.

The only thing that having a separate category for SO2R would do is to
make K3ZO the perennial winner of the SO1R category.  And don't tell
me that would make you feel "more competitive" or on more of a "level"
playing field.

de Doug KR2Q


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