[CQ-Contest] Ø pointers: the final word?

[kr2q at optonline.net]

Hi all:

Since all CQWWDX logs are now public, I chose to do some analysis which
any one of you can do.  I do this as an individual and NOT as a member
of any contest committee with which I may be associated.

Here are the STATS from the PUBLIC (claimed) ssb log of NQ4I.

	band						
points	10	15	20	40	80	160	total
0	53	70	432	141	25	100	821
1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	36	129	329	172	100	55	821
3	168	639	1495	577	189	32	3100
all	257	838	2256	890	314	187	4742


My comments:
On 10, 15, 80, and 160, if your guys didn't work zero-pointers, they would
be REALLY bored.

Obviously, 20m has lots of zero-pointers, so perhaps it is worth some closer scrutiny.

In case this does not line up...
The first column is "the hour of the contest"
Next is the overal rate/hour (all QSO's included)
Next is the rate for JUST 2 or 3 pointers
The last column is the rate for Ø pointers.

Look at this and try to determine if working zero pointers
somehow might have "taken away" opportunity for working
more 2 and 3 pointers (compare the two columns on the right).

HR        rate/all   rate 2-3    rate Ø pts
1	135	78	57
2	46	25	21
3	84	43	41
4	46	22	24
5	22	12	10
6	12	8	4
7	28	28	0
8	29	28	1
9	39	39	0
10	55	54	1
11	18	14	4
12	56	56	0
13	69	64	5
14	72	54	18
15	54	51	3
16	60	51	9
17	102	92	10
18	92	84	8
19	88	83	5
20	110	101	9
21	77	71	6
22	93	87	6
23	88	81	7
24	53	38	15
25	61	42	19
26	55	36	19
27	27	17	10
28	3	3	0
29	18	18	0
30	17	16	1
31	1	1	0
32	0	0	0
33	0	0	0
34	3	3	0
35	8	5	3
36	21	14	7
37	29	25	4
38	44	22	22
39	29	20	9
40	22	18	4
41	38	31	7
42	61	59	2
43	43	40	3
44	40	37	3
45	52	47	5
46	66	54	12
47	45	25	20
48	45	27	18

No offense, Rick, but the ONLY time I see here possibly worthy of complaint is
the first hour of the contest.  

If you import the above hourly breakdowns into excel (which anyone with excel
can do, or if you like, I'll send you the file I made separately), and create a 
stacked bargraph, you will note that working Ø pointers just does not impact 
your potential rate (ie, it does not slow your guys down).  If anything (at least 
IMHO), they make the rate meter go up and should give your guys a "lift" in spirits.  

Compare hours 17 to 20 with hours 24 to 27.  If your guys are working DX (counters),
they are working fewer Ø pointers.  In hour 20 you worked 101 DX and only 9 USA....
NINE qso's in 60 minutes should not be worth complaining about.  In hour 24, your
guys worked only 38 DX so I would think that working 15 USA in that same hour
would (a) not deprive you of DX QSO's and (b) give your guys something to do.

IMHO, making statements about working "nearly 1000" zero pointers during the contest 
and equating that 6.5hours "lost" time is really not an accurate picture of what was
happening.  

Hope this helps clarify the picture (or at least establishes another perspective).

de Doug KR2Q