[CQ-Contest] New SS Category Proposal

[Mitchell, Tim T.K.]

Tom wrote:
>Best way to keep interest up on Sunday is to be able work
>stations on more than one band.

Oh boy, I have stayed out of this until this comment was made.  Now I can't
resist anymore.

The absolute worst thing that could ever happen to SS is to change it to Q's
and/or mults once per band!  This would kill SS.  SS has its own strategy
and flavor.  Please learn to enjoy it as is.

If someone wants Q's/Mults once per band, I suggest they operate the NAQP.
NAQP is in Aug and Jan and you can work people once per band for q and mult
credit.  Enjoy it, this is what you are asking for.  It is easy as it
already exists (twice a year too!).

DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER CHANGING SS TO ONCE PER BAND!!!

The once per contest for Q's and mults is the great equalizer in SS.  If
this is changed you may as well change the name as well.  Maybe call it NAQP
III.  This would certainly kill interest.  SS would just be another contest
like the others.

I would suggest to those who want to change SS that they spend a few years
doing the contest.  Enjoy it for its differences.  Get used to the long
exchange.  Get used to a finite number of people to work for a given
geographic region and spend half as much time dreaming up SS strategies as
they are spending trying to dream up rule changes.  Work within the rules
don't worry about how to change them.

In case you missed the first one: SS isn't broke, don't fix it!

I disagree that all of the q's are made the first day.  The reality in W8 is
that the contest is won/lost based on Sunday performance.  One needs to know
when to take off times.  When to S&P.  When to run.  Of course it helps to
have a good first 10 hours.  If one approaches Sunday as I'll just push the
CQ button (or given the other thread worry about time between auto CQ's)
then Sunday is slow.  For those who are motivated to excel, this is just a
challenge of this contest.  The people who do well suck it up and find a way
to put people in the log.

Some real numbers to prove my point:
(score given as # q's first 10-12 hrs to off time/# q's last 12 hrs or so
[Sunday])
Year      CW       SSB         Category
99      566/1063               K9TM SOLP OH
98      500/1057               K9TM SOLP OH
96                829/1756     K8CC/K9TM op SOHP
95                856/1639     K8CC/K9TM op SOHP
94                841/1623     K8CC/K9TM op SOHP
93                987/1912     K8CC/K9TM op SOHP
Clearly it is more half and half than all my q's came in the first 10-12
hours.  Maybe I am doing something wrong?  Every year my total has gone up.
'93 was a freak year with some excellent short skip on 15/20 early Sat
evening and rates went way up.    Proves my point that this is more about
having propagation to the largest target audience and less on special
categories for operation.  Why do you think people go to KP2, KP4, TX, etc?
Why do you think these areas dominate the top of the box?

Not sure who the "big dawgs" (per TOM W7WHY) are but obviously I am not one
of them based on number q's first day.  I think '93 I was the closest to
making the box on SSB as any W8 SO has made it (think I was 1 or 2 q's
behind w9re).  For all of the SSB scores I have a plaque for Great Lakes
Division.  For the two cw scores from my place I have one plaque and top-ten
and based on claim scores expect another top-ten and plaque this year.  Not
trying to brag or anything just want to say that I think I know SS and have
an informed opinion on it.  (doesn't mean I think my opinion is the only
one, just that it is not some off-the-cuff remark from someone who hasn't
studied this thing. I really enjoy SS.).  Before I got into the single-op
category I spent quite a few years learning the ropes from now KW8N doing
the multi's at what used to be WB8JBM (back in jr high & high school days).
Just like other areas of life there is just no substitute for experience...
especially good experience!

Sunday is not a short coming of SS.  It is part of what makes SS different.
Sure I would love to have an endless pool of people to work but that doesn't
happen in any stateside contest from W8.  If you could give me 200 folks an
hour on cw and 350 folks an hour on SSB I would be able to do SO1R instead
of SO2R and wouldn't have to s&p anymore.  No more worries about off times,
strategy, etc.  Boy wouldn't that be fun?  NA practice mode gives me this on
CW, there is always someone there to work.  I can only do this for a short
period of time before I get bored.  The strategy is what makes this fun.

Just in case anyone missed it: SS isn't broke, don't fix it!

73 Tim K9TM

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