[CQ-Contest] [NCCC] Annual Suggestion
Jim Neiger
n6tj at sbcglobal.net
Tue Feb 20 00:00:05 EST 2007
Every year we go through the same silly arguments, trying to restrict the
amount of
fun we have in contests.
If someone wants to operate 48 hours, and can,
then why not??
I notice that Andy AE6Y, P49Y, just did 44 hours from Aruba, and perhaps the
reason it
wasn't more was the propagation to W/VE more/less shuts down for a few hours
in the morning. And Andy is 60-something, I believe.
(When you get to be 60-something, your complaints are generally directed
towards other problems, NOT whether your butt is hurting after 48 hours of
sitting. Trust me..........)
Some races are sprints, some are marathons. Why do they all have to look
the same?? Operate as much as you want. But please, let's not mess with the
48 hours of happiness.
I, for one, am ready to go back to the two weekends per mode of the ARRL DX
Contests. The 11.5 kilo QSO's I made from ZD8Z in the four 48-hour weekends
of the 1969 (!!!) version of this baby will be forever one of the highlights
of my contesting fun. (By the way, no computers, no packet, no memory
keyers, only pen and paper, manual duping........oops, who said this was
fun??)
And let's again make single operator WPX 48 hours while we're at it, too.
There are plenty of ways to address strategy, and having to decide when and
where you want to limit your time (and fun), is perhaps the least
interesting and least demonstrative of operating skills.
And even although not directed to this "tiger", I can assure my friend KR2Q
and uncle K1AR, that there are more than a few of us old fools, still
lurking in the jungle, simply waiting for the bands (and health) to return
and to get it on for the better of 48 hours.
When I met K6VVA in 1962, there was no one that could equal his enthusiasm
or skills. Now, let's please all worry about him - I fear that old age has
arrived. C'mon Rick, and others, you can do it............
Vy 73,
Jim Neiger N6TJ
----- Original Message -----
From: <K1AR at aol.com>
To: <vhfplus at bmg50.com>; <dx35 at hilding.com>
Cc: <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, February 19, 2007 6:21 PM
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] [NCCC] Annual Suggestion
>
> In a message dated 2/19/2007 9:09:41 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> vhfplus at bmg50.com writes:
>
> A quick look at the 3830 reflector reported scores show that few SO
> entries operate anywhere near 48 hours. Some did not report times but of
> those who did the Iron Man (person?) was LZ4AX at K3CR with 44 hours,
> then W3EF at 43, W6QU (W8QZA op) at 42, N4PN at 41 and AA3B and N3BB at
> 40. A vast majority of the top-scoring SO's, reported so far, were in
> the mid to upper 30's for time spent on-air.
>
> This maybe an indication that the contest community is graying but it is
> also a strong indication that few of us, even the most dedicated contest
> operators, are interested in a 48-hour marathon. That would lend
> credence to Rick's annual suggestion that 36 hours out of 48 would be a
> sensible change. It seems to work in the WPX contest and adds an element
> of skill/luck in selecting off times which makes things interesting.
>
> 73,
>
> Jack, NA7RF
>
>
>
> This has as much to do with solar conditions as anything. When the sun
> wakes
> up, there will be plenty to do for 48 hours. That's just not the case
> now.
>
> Frankly, and no pun intended, this debate is tiring. We don't need more
> categories. There are already too many. Just ask anyone who is on the
> admin side
> of the table. As it stands now for the CQ WW contest, nearly 2% of all
> entries
> receive a plaque and over 1/3 win a certificate for their operating
> category.
>
> If we introduced a 36-hour group, a subset of those operators who
> continue
> to "lose" in their newly created category would want to parse it further.
> It's
> an endless downward spiral.
>
> My two cents.
>
> 73 John, K1AR
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