[CQ-Contest] New SS Category Proposal

[Guy Olinger, K2AV]

On Sun, 12 Mar 2000 22:23:55 -0800, you wrote:

>
>I'm not against the new category, but I'm having a hard time understanding
>how it will increase participation. Some big gun who's short on time will
>win the category. Big deal. The rank and file aren't playing to win anyway,
>so I'm not sure that a new time-limited category will bring anybody out of
>the wood-work.

The wisdom heard over and over again is that the time from 4 pm
Saturday (Eastern time) start to first sleep cannot be made up. That
particular stretch has been compromised nearly every SS I have ever
worked. If I could not clear the whole weekend, it is at least
POSSIBLE for me to clear 8 hours on the one day 1 pm to ten pm with an
hour out for supper. There have been a number of times I just worked a
100 Q's in the SS, knowing there was ZERO opportunity to be
competitive. I would have tried to max out the 8 hours.

It is not necessarily true that a big gun (who may just be someone
that CAN block out the weekend) will waltz into such a category. For
eight hours I can keep up with one of these gasoline-in-their-veins
types, where otherwise I am suffering from oxygen deprivation after 18
hours, and walking into walls.

Eight hours in the period 1800 UTC Sunday through 0300 UTC, with the
usual 30 minute time-out rules. Time on all 5 bands. Real strategy
decisions. GREAT idea! 

Some of us who struggle through the SSB and bleeding ears just for the
club might try to max this one out. It certainly would be more
family-friendly. Participation would be increased in the sense of
those who would try to max out the sprint, 3, 4, 5 hundred contacts
instead of 100 and go back to TV.

It also would force the all-out guys to strategize. More and more of
them are now saying that the maximum results are attained with a 24
hour straight 4 to 4 blowout, and forget Sunday evening altogether.
Sunday Sprint category would change all that.


--.  .-..
73, Guy

Guy Olinger, K2AV
k2av at contesting.com
Apex, NC, USA


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