[CQ-Contest] Consider This

[Bill Coleman]

On 4/24/02 4:09 PM, Ford Peterson at ford at cmgate.com wrote:

>SO2R is to contesting what running two fishing lines is to a fishing
>contest.

Not exactly. SO2R doesn't mean you can transmit on both similtaneously. 
You are still constrained to have one transmitted signal on the air at 
one time. 

It's more like having two fishing lines where only one line is in the 
water at a time....

>Comparing a station with two radios to a station with one radio is not a
>fair comparison.

No? I have two radios. (Just built an Elecraft K2) I don't see any 
single-radio operators quaking in their boots over it.

>Comparing a station with a beam and a dipole is very
>comparable to a station with 6 mono banders.  In each case, only one antenna
>gets used at a time.

Define "used".

And I disagree. A tribander and a dipole is not comparable to multiple 
tribanders or monoband antennas. In fact, the CQ WPX committee agrees 
with me. That's why they have the TS category. Even so, there's a huge 
difference in the "T". A Butternut HF5B isn't comparable to a Force12 
C51XR.

>SO2R is more akin to multi-multi operation than a multi-single.

Not at all. Only one transmitted signal. Only one operator. I don't see 
any relation at all to the multi-operator categories.

However, a Multi-Single station configuration often makes an adequate 
SO2R station.

>  To compare
>SO2R to a single op-single radio is quite unfair.

Not at all. It's just one guy with more equipment!

>  There is nothing
>"political" about it.  It's simple physics, rudimentary probabilities, basic
>ergonomics.

Poppycock.

>SO2R should be a category on its own, just like the "assisted" notion we now
>embrace as "logical."

No! Assisted involves having some other person do spotting of stations 
for you. SO2R is ONE guy. UNO! What's worse, he's got more hardware to 
manage.

Further, modern radios really confuse the SO2R issue. Is a guy using an 
FT-1000 using two radios? The MP can receive in two portions of the same 
band, and the FT-1000D can receive on two different bands? The new TenTec 
Orion may make the whole situation worse (Unlike the Yeasu, it is unclear 
if the Orion blanks both receivers during transmit).

Look again. The category is "Single Operator". The contest sponsors 
typically make no mention of how much equipment he is using. So long as 
the condition of one transmitted signal at any one time, appropriate 
power level, and assistance (or lack thereof), there is no reason to make 
a different category just because someone listens to more than one 
receiver at a time.



Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
            -- Wilbur Wright, 1901