[CQ-Contest] CQ magazing gripes

[K7LXC at aol.com]

In a message dated 3/23/01 7:25:40 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
owner-cq-contest at contesting.com writes:

>   I understand that it might not be good for all contesters to stop 
>   their subscriptions because that might cause CQ Magazine to
>   experience hard times and thus not continue to sponsor contests.

    In case you haven't noticed, CQ magazine (along with QST, other magazine 
publishers and ALL ham dealers and manufacturers [with a couple of 
exceptions]) IS experiencing hard times. The ham marketplace is soft if not 
declining, advertising is down, margins are slim and you'd have to be nuts to 
get into business in this market/hobby.
>  
>   I understand that contest results are not printed until just before
>   the next running of the contest in order to stimulate interest in
>   the next running of the contest.
>  
    That's not the reason but it doesn't hurt. The reason that they appear 
when they do is because of the TREMENDOUS amount of work involved in 
collecting, entering, analyzing and publishing the results. I guarantee you 
that Bob Cox, K3EST, is working right up to the last minute of his deadline 
finishing the CQWW results. Foreign entries sometimes arrive months past the 
deadline and much has to be entered manually (ALL of the soapbox comments, 
scores, etc.) are only a couple of reasons why it takes so long. While 
electronic logs have speeded up some things significantly, there is more log 
analysis and scrutinization than ever before and it all takes time. Without 
the volunteer efforts of EVERYONE involved, CQ wouldn't have anything to 
print. (What K3EST gets "paid" for his efforts amounts to about five cents an 
hour for the work involved - but that's another story.)

    I primarily read CQ for the contest results so I'm not any different than 
most folks on this reflector. Without the support and commitment of CQ 
magazine, the CQWW contest wouldn't be the premier event that it is. VIVA LA 
CQ!

Cheers,   Steve     K7LXC
Contest hacker 
    
    


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