[CQ-Contest] Sweepstakes: Should I be penalized for getting my license in 2000?

[Mike Coslo]

D K7GK wrote:

>Since operating in Sweepstakes for the first time a few years ago and 
>falling in love with this contest, I wondered - am I at a real disadvantage 
>given that my check is 00 or ten dahs on CW? Finally I decided to do a 
>simple estimate and it goes like this. Suppose my average sending speed is 
>32WPM (I typically start at 35 and end up at 29 by the end) and let's 
>disregard the fills. Sending 00 takes 41 dots (from here on dot is the 
>amount of time to send a dit, dah is 3 dots, space between letters is 3 dots 
>and so on). Sending 78 (average length check) takes 31 dots and sending 55 
>(shortest check) takes 21 dots. Using "PARIS" as a typical word for this 
>estimate I get that there are 42 dots in a word and 3 extra dots for space, 
>a total of 45 dots. Therefore in a minute there are 32 words or 32*45 = 1440 
>dots, or one dot is 1/1440 minutes long. This means that in every exchange I 
>lose (41-31)*(1/1440) = 1/144 minutes compared to a check 78 and twice that 
>to check 55. Having made about 1200 contacts in the last two sweepstakes 
>this means that I spent 1200/144=8.3 extra minutes on sending long check 
>compared to an average operator and 16.6 extra minutes compared to a lucky 
>one. This roughly translates to 7 or 14 QSOs less given the average rates. I 
>am well aware that life is not fair (I do contest from the Pacific 
>Northwest), but am I being robbed?
>  
>
    Perhaps you could try for the vanity call K5EE?

I could only wish that I was good enough that the length of my call sign 
was an impediment to sending CW in contests! ;^)

    - 73 de Mike KB3EIA -