[CQ-Contest] tech challenge - SAY WHAT?

[kr2q at optonline.net]

Rick, Gerry, et al:

1.  Hope you don't mind if I combine the replies

2.  I would normally reply directly, but since you have also posted to the reflector, I will too.  But I hope that this is my last comment on this thread "in public."

First, Rick's comment was about M/M, so I directed my reply in that direction, even if not so stated.

Second, I still think that looking at real time scores (for M/M) doesn't (won't) matter.  Your M/M crew should be experts at what they do and should not need you (Rick) as their cheerleader.  Maybe my assumption of expertise and the need for motivation is wrong, but I still think that taking time to look at someone else's scores detracts from the effort needed.

Most likely, your M/M competition is not geographically near you, so I'm not sure what seeing stuff real time would buy.  I clearly remember times when W2PV worked stuff that I couldn't hear at K2GL/N2AA.  Equally, I remember times when LPL was working stuff that I couldn't hear (esp on 10m at the bottom of the cycle).  Of course, that was decades ago now, but I bet it has not changed.  What XX, LR, LPL, and NQ4I work as M/M at any given time of the day are not in tight sync.

I would expect your team to "know" what the other guys (competition) are doing by actually listening to them on the band, as one of your op's "tunes around."  Yes, this assumes you have two guys per position which may not be always true (but should be for M/M).

I fully appreciate your goal of knowing how the other M/Ms did exactly when the contest is over.  We all have experienced that "need."  I don't see the need for "real time scores" when the webversion of 3830 works so well.  I think it is reasonable and laudable that you ask that all M/M post their scores immediately after the contest so that all can "share" and see how they did.  

Switching gears a bit (Gerry)....
I just don't "get" how guys "not top ten" would be more motivated by looking at scores.  You can only do what your station can do.  As anyone familiar with Organizational Behavior knows, motivation comes from within.  I concede that maybe there some ops who are too casual, but that is not something a M/M should really have think about.  If it is, they did a less than optimal job of recruiting or they acknowledge that their M/M is "casual."

Before I continue, let me remind everyone that most contesters who care (based on those who voted) think that single ops and real-times do NOT mix.  

http://www.contesting.com/survey/171

The CQWWDX Contest Committee also sought input on this topic (Bob Cox requested your input here on the contest reflector) and the findings agree with what is posted above.  Essentially, those who care say that if you use real time scoreboards, you can't be "single op" unassisted.  I agree.  So let's stick with M/M.

The multi-year trend (decades long) for contest participation and scores has been improving long before scoreboards.  To think that any recent increase is due to less than one year of minimal experience with these scorecards is statistically impossible.

Also, I never said anything negative about POSTING to the real time scoreboards.  I said that those who LOOK at it are being less than optimally efficient in achieving a bigger score.

And finally....I have no issue posting my score in real time (except that my ham computer is old and has no internet connection).  However, I sincerely doubt that (a) my scores qualify as "big" and (b) there are many in my qrp category that care about how I am doing during the contest.  I sure can't imagine K1AR and his peers being motivated by my qrp score.  LOL

In conclusion (whew)....  Yes, do ask everybody, especially M/M, to post their scores immediately after the contest.  It is a worthy goal.  Using real time scores is the long way around since it requires more effort than plugging a couple numbers into a webform at the end of the contest.  I think that the webform approach is more efficient (and easier to do) and therefore more likely to achieve success in learning what the final, claimed scores are.

de Doug KR2Q