[CQ-Contest] Consider This

[Jim Stevens]

Wow!

I didn't expect to be the subject of a CQ-Contest expose'.

Before I am crucified, let me provide some data / facts.

I operated the contest using TR-Log.  For those of you familiar with TR-Log,
if one
has it configured correctly it will provide you with an estimate of the
number of 2nd
radio QSOs.  I did have it configured that way, and TR-Log says I made 96
2nd radio
QSOs.  My experience says that TR-Log underestimates the number of 2nd radio
QSOs
by some amount, so I did the following.

TR-Log marked QSOs by radio 1 with "A" and QSOs by radio 2 with "B".  I used
a DOS
editor with some old, but advanced editing capabilities to count the number
of "B" QSOs.
There were 176 2nd radio QSOs by this count.  I also counted the number of
mults worked
by the 2nd radio which were 111.  Obviously some of these I would have
worked regardless,
but just using 176 and 111, my claimed score with SO2R would have been (with
the same points / QSO):
2704 X 849 = 6.29M which is still considerable ahead of the gentleman making
the original
post.  If anyone would like to see a copy of my log, just e-mail me.

Let me describe my massive SO2R station.  I have a single 100 feet high
Rohn-25G tower
which supports at the top a TH-6 and 40-2CD which are rotatable.  I have a
2nd TH-6
side mounted but fixed on Europe at 50 feet.  I have 80M and 160M inverted
vees hanging
from the tower.  I have a WX0B Six-Pack antenna switch which allows me to
switch any
of the antennas to either radio.  I have 2 ICE Model 419 bandpass filters
which provide
my only interstation interference reduction.  The "run" station is a
FT-1000MP with an
AL-1200 amp.  The "mult" station is a Kenwood TS-440S with a Clipperton-L
amp.
I have a Dunestar audio switch box, and a home brew (yes, I do know how to
solder a
little) box for switching the mike audio.  Everything is manually switched
(WE9V, the king
of automatic switching, is like a God to me).

If you haven't figured it out by now, I don't support separate categories
for SO2R.

SO2R is hard!  I like to think I am a much better SSB op than CW (I know
that may
not be saying much) but because of that I rarely push SO2R that hard in CW
contests
except Sweepstakes (where Sunday rates are so slow) and NAQPs (where it is
not
quite as tough).  Even in SSB contests, where I think I know what the hell I
am doing
at least half the time, I don't push SO2R as hard as I should because it is
tough to do.
It is a lot of work.  I admire the SO2R masters like (to name a few) N6TR,
N5TJ, K5ZD.
But I don't think I should have a different category than them just because
of SO2R.

A final comment since I am on my soapbox.  Why the hell did I do Assisted
especially
in WPX?  Good question.

First, in this particular contest, I knew that I had some other commitments
that would
keep me from being 100% focused on the contest.

Second, I enjoy packet.  I like watching the spots come across.  I still
chase DX.  I enjoy
chatting with others during the test.  I spent some time during this test
chatting with K4JA
on antennas projects at his station and conditions during the test.  All
things that would not
have been possible without packet.

73, Jim NV4X (K4MA operator)

----- Original Message -----
From: "Randy Thompson, K5ZD" <k5zd at charter.net>
To: "Richard Zalewski" <w7zr at citlink.net>; "cq-contest"
<cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2002 9:20 PM
Subject: RE: [CQ-Contest] Consider This


> I suspect if NV4X was SO1R he would have *only* had about 2800 x 950 for
> 7.0M...
>
> More variables here than you can see in the score listings.
>
> Randy, K5ZD
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: cq-contest-admin at contesting.com
> > [mailto:cq-contest-admin at contesting.com]On Behalf Of Richard Zalewski
> > Sent: Monday, April 22, 2002 17:38 PM
> > To: cq-contest
> > Subject: [CQ-Contest] Consider This
> >
> >
> > How about considering this regarding SO2R as a separate class.
> >
> > Most recent WPX SSB
> >
> > SO AB (A) HP
> >
> > NV4X    2880 Q  960 PFX  33 HRS  7.58M
> > WZ7ZR 1836 Q  749 PFX  32 HRS  2.78M
> >
> > Not to take a thing away from K4MA as the operator at NV4X or the
> > fact that
> > he is East Coast but come on....you can't keep telling me that
> > SO2R is not a
> > separate classification.
> >
> > I sure would like to see more analysis of this type where SO2R in
> > a current
> > class is compared to SO1R in the same class.  I would do it but
> > unfortunetly
> > I only saved the SO (A) AB HP posts.
> >
> > Dick W7ZR
> >
> > Price Reduced!!
> > Vacation or Retire Here
> > It's Paradise on the Beach
> > www.w7zr.com
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > CQ-Contest mailing list
> > CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
>
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest