[CQ-Contest] Is it a time to change rules for HQstnsin IARUcontest ?

[Kelly Taylor]

My .02 starts with a couple questions:

1. To what extent do non-HQ stations compete with HQ stations? (Not at all, 
as far as I can see.)
2. To what extent do HQ stations really intend to compete with each other 
vs. representing their national society on the air?

My problem with zeroing out QSOs with own-country stations has always been 
this: why is a 160m QSO between two stations that can see each other 
(Morocco to southern Spain, for example) any more a DX contact than Florida 
to Alaska?

Was the idea of HQ stations, and the resultant bonus, not about promoting 
activity and providing another challenge for the rest of us? And if there 
are high numbers of uniques in the logs of HQ stations, then I feel the 
organizers would only say "Mission accomplished."

Dave's idea of returning to one station, one call sounds like the way to go 
except for one small detail: contest organizers can only control those 
stations who submit to the rules by submitting a log. The bands remain free 
for everyone to use even during contests, and the contest rules do not have 
any jurisdiction over those who do not submit logs. If these 9,000 DL 
contacts are uniques, then it's highly unlikely any of them will be 
submitting a log. And even if they did, the contest organizers can only 
punish the wrongdoers: Stations can't be held responsible for the actions of 
those over whom they have no control. So, how do you stop a station from 
lining up ops?

Do other HQ stations feel the need to complain? (Doug, what say W1AW/4?) If 
other HQ stations don't feel put out, the rest of us don't have anything to 
worry about.

73, kelly
ve4xt

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Henderson" <bob at 5b4agn.net>
To: "cq-contest" <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 3:18 AM
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Is it a time to change rules for HQstnsin 
IARUcontest ?


> You make a good point Doug but something needs to be done if competition
> between HQ operations is to acquire any credibility.
>
> Your suggestion for establishing a "Uniques" threshold for contacts 
> between
> HQ and other stations in the same territory appears similar in approach to
> the technique used at WRTC.  This might be a good way to deal with the 
> issue
> but is dependent, as you suggest, upon the practicalities associated with
> it's introduction to log checking process.
>
> Restructuring the scoring system to substantially reduce credit for these
> contacts, might be an option to reduce the flag waving effect, though it
> would at best ameliorate not cure.
>
> Bob, 5B4AGN
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Doug Smith W9WI" <w9wi at earthlink.net>
> To: "cq-contest" <cq-contest at contesting.com>
> Sent: Monday, July 17, 2006 1:18 AM
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Is it a time to change rules for HQ stnsin
> IARUcontest ?
>
>
>> On Sun, 2006-07-16 at 04:02, Bob Henderson wrote:
>>> It could be addressed by attributing nil points to contacts between HQ
>>> and
>>> other stations in the territory they represent.
>>
>> This would be a SERIOUS problem for HQ stations in large countries
>> and/or with large ham populations.  (i.e., USA, Russia, Japan)  I don't
>> know that we would have bothered with 160 meters at all at W1AW/4 if we
>> couldn't work W's for point credit.
>>
>> It would be an even more serious problem for the IARU HQ station which
>> could then work almost *nobody*!
>>
>> I could see disallowing credit for contacts between a HQ station and
>> other stations in the same country *if* the other stations are
>> "uniques", i.e. worked fewer than some threshold number (say, ten?)
>> other stations besides the HQ operation.  I'll bet it'd be a real
>> nightmare for the log checkers though.
>> -- 
>> Doug Smith W9WI
>> Pleasant View (Nashville), TN  EM66
>> http://www.w9wi.com
>>
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>
>
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