[CQ-Contest] Unique perspectives

[Mark Bailey]

Kenneth E. Harker wrote:
> On Mon, Jul 24, 2006 at 11:50:01AM -0700, Jack Brindle wrote:
>  [...] 
> You seem to be confusing a log checking and scoring process with what 
> will actually happen on the air.  Let's say for argument's sake that
> points from unique QSOs were removed from a log's score in the log 
> checking process, and all contestants know that this will happen.
> Will this in any way change how they operate?  Will you not log a QSO
> or tell someone to go away?  Since you cannot predict which QSOs
> will or will not be uniques, it would have no effect whatsoever on
> how people operate.  You will still want to work that local guy who
> gets on and makes one QSO with you because you have no idea whether or 
> not they will also make other QSOs before the contest is over.
> 

Actually, this is likely to change the way I operate in rare cases.  I have
been known to solicit Sweepstakes contacts from net control stations, for
instance, when they pop up on my run frequency and tell me the net is
starting soon.  I also take the time on Sunday to walk stations through
the Sweepstakes exchange, even on CW, when I have no idea whether they
will make another contact.  Often (usually?), I suspect they won't.

I am concerned that such a rule change will make contesters less likely
to be friendly to the very casual stations. I would certainly not choose
to not log it, unless there was a penalty, but I may also choose not to
try to get a QSO (especially in Sweepstakes) and may pass up the
opportunity to try to recruit a new contest operator.

I have also engaged in rather long rag chews with slow stations sometimes
to get a multiplier in DX contests (from a multi-multi station where it
was worth the time to do so).  I actually HOPE these stations will be
uniques.

These are certainly "fringe" situations, but they do reflect things I do
and have done during contests.

This discussion is making me less certain that not giving credit for
uniques is a BAD idea, especially if some competitive logs have 10 percent
uniques, but I think there may be unintended consequences. It is
certainly a valuable and interesting discussion.

73,

Mark, KD4D