[CQ-Contest] VE4XT's observation about SS and SO2R

[k4oj]

man o man o man do I disagree with the following:

VE4XT wrote:

Is SS an SO2R contest? I don't think so. Sure, people do SO2R. It's a great
contest to practise SO2R, particularly on Sunday. But when you have a
relatively small, fixed number of multipliers, the benefits of SO2R are not
as great as in, say, WW or WPX, which for everybody have unattainable
maximum amounts of multipliers. 


SS is ALL about maximizing QSO count.... (my multiplier thread was last 
week) ... During the last half of SS I would feel confident to say that 
close to half my QSOs were on the second radio!  You just plain start 
running out of guys when you are running - but you cannot afford to miss 
one who shows up during halftime of the football game - so you gotta CQ 
- but all that time you better be tuning for new ones on the other 
bands...  

While he has not posted his score yet, I am hazarding a guess that WP3R 
will be first or second in SS....  I had not called him - but had lined 
my rig up on the second radio to call him as his QRS CQ's were going 
unanswered - funny thing is HE CALLED ME before I could mash F4 on the 
second computer!  I do not know fer sure but I bet all but mebbe one of 
the top ten finishers in SS CW will have been using SO2R - which allows 
you to "push" the emvelope of QSO count as hard as you can. If you are 
noth running and S&Ping at the same time - well - you are maximizing 
your brains potential to make QSOs appear in your log!

SO2R also works much better (for me anyway) in SS due to the long 
exchange - you get more wiggle room as far as timing calling the other 
station and call literally adjuct you CQing to time out at the same 
moent as the other guy does his....and when you call him on radio two 
and he comes back - you return to CQing on radio one while he is sending 
you his exchange...etc....  it is a little bit like juggling flaming 
torches but it sure keeps you aware of what you might have missed, too!

SO2R is mandatory in SS - I would encourage guys who may not have the 
potential for two full stations to consider it for next year even if it 
means the second rig is barefoot and you are in B class... even if it is 
only a trap vertical on that second rig - until you take that time you 
spend CQing and use it for something practical you do not realise how 
much of a waste of time listening to your computer send your CQ 
flawlessly several thousand times during the weekend is!

73,

Jim, K4OJ