[CQ-Contest] Re: Line Scores

[W2RU - Bud Hippisley]

At 00:30 2004-12-03, Richard DiDonna NN3W wrote:
>What if ARRL were to have all full scores published in 
>NCJ?  While it would certainly add to NCJ's production 
>costs, it might increase subscribership somewhat.  
>Post the summary results in QST and mention that line 
>scores can be found in NCJ.

While this approach might appeal to some of us hard core contesters, I don't see how this addresses the issue I originally raised, which was one of exposing certain groups -- non-contesters, people who don't yet know they're budding contesters, and "minimal" contesters -- to the documentation of contesting efforts by themselves and/or their peers, neighbors, and fellow club members.  I didn't have to buy or order a single extra document, or otherwise lift a finger, to see my call in print after my first contest effort.  (All of us who were eligible to participate in CD Parties also automatically received the quarterly CD Bulletin, wherein ALL scores were listed, broken down by ARRL section.)  If I had needed to buy an NCJ equivalent at the time to see my scores, I wouldn't have prioritized what little money I had available in order to do so.

Admittedly, QST isn't the perfect venue because not every contester belongs to ARRL; but it has by far the largest circulation of any print document we've talked about so far.  But then, the ARRL web site isn't such a hot alternative, either, because most of the "interesting" stuff on their contest results page is available ONLY to ARRL members.

Why do you think interactive line scores are limited to ARRL members if the incremental number of ARRL  memberships resulting from contesters is as small as some of the folks in this discussion think it is?
:-)

Bud, W2RU