[CQ-Contest] Is it a time to change rules for HQ stns in IARUcontest ?

[Franki ON5ZO]

To avoid top posting, see comments below...

----- Original Message ----- 
> Dear Fellow Contesters,
>
> I would say the time to change rules for HQ stations in IARU contest has
> come.
...
> In IARU 2005 -
> It is NOT normal DA0HQ to have over 9000 DL QSOs out of total of 19 000.
> It is NOT normal to have SN0HQ been called by 1200 different SP callsigns
> who used JUST ONE STATION to make these QSOs. 528 of these 1200
> SP operators worked SN0HQ on all 6 bands form JUST ONE STATION.
> SN0HQ had 8 000 QSO's with SP stations ,too !
> (info is translated from the link in Russain given above )
>
> As a normal person I would  NOT call this a fair competition although
> accroding to currently printed rules of IARU contest this is NOT a formal
> rules violation.
...
> I would kindly suggest to organizing committee of IARU contest
> to take action and stop this nonsense.
> At this time I can not suggest myself a solution of this problem,but such
> actions by some HQ stations definetly makes efforts of other HQ stations
> useless.
>
> 73,  Wally LZ2CJ
> one of LZ7HQ operators in IARU 2006

Dear Wally and all concerned

As a coincidence, the UBA's team members from OP0HQ were discussing this 
very same matter only yesterday.

Indeed, some HQ stations just go the extra mile to get a massive amount of 
countrymen in the log. We must admit that this clever 'extra mile' of course 
is NOT in violation with any rule and those extra QSO's are truly made, we 
heard that ourselves! But as you point out, HQ efforts from countries with 
less amateurs start with a major disadvantage.

We found it strange that early in the contest and late in the contest, 
stations from a neighbouring country are working their own HQ station on the 
low bands while absolutely showing no interest in OP0HQ, while signal levels 
must be up to par so it can't be that they don't hear us. No, they just 
don't care about anything else than their own HQ. There still is nothing 
wrong with that, each ham works the stations he wants and skips those who 
aren't of any interest to him. But maybe there is a reason for them being so 
picky when working HQ stations? Maybe they have special interest in working 
this particular station?

We at the UBA don't want to whine, we don't want to seem sore losers and we 
even don't even really need to win this contest, and above all we want to 
enjoy our hobby on a massive scale as an HQ station together with fellow 
contesters across the globe. But we do want a level playing field so that 
everyone has the same chance and no one gets a headstart, because otherwise 
smaller societies won't bother and only a handfull of HQ's from countries 
with lots of hams will participate. How will we motivate about 50 people for 
a major contest from ten different locations, when the top 5 is already 
known by the number of hams in those countries?

Just like you Wally, we don't have an answer to this issue. Some people say 
to score QSO's with own country as ZERO points, this has been brought up 
here in the recent past (some moths ago?). But maybe this isn't the right 
solution? There is a simple solution though: common sense and an open spirit 
in contesting...

I would like to hear the opinion of other HQ stations, and maybe the people 
in charge for the rules of this contest.

73 de Franki ON5ZO, for OP0HQ, UBA HQ station