[CQ-Contest] Contest Results

[Kenneth E. Harker]

I think it's easy to see how it could be four months after the contest
before the results appear in a magazine.

a) The log submission deadline is probably 1 month after the event.

b) Allow one month for log checking.  This may include time for typing 
   in paper logs, for tracking down incomplete info, and actually doing 
   the log checking, which depending on the contest may be more or less 
   automated.

c) Allow one month for the article results author to write the story.
   This is almost certainly a volunteer with a day job putting together 
   a very technical and detailed product.  There is probably some 
   back-and-forth between author and log checker as the author finds 
   weirdness in the results.  Amybe this includes a week for professional
   copyediting and layout.

d) Publication printing lead time.  Let's say one month just because I 
   don't know what it really is.

So, there is a four month delay that seems entirely reasonable.  Add in any 
kind of unexpected delays, like someone getting sick or whatnot, and the 
consider that the steps in publication delay are in month-long increments,
and that delays from one volunteer can impact the schedules of other 
volunteers, and you can see where things can go.

How would you shorten this time frame?

1) Shorten the log submission deadline.

2) Do all log checking in two weeks.  Since this is a volunteer doing it, 
   it's not like s/he has 80 hours in that two week period to focus on the 
   log checking.  It's probably being done in evenings and weekends, and 
   real life can get in the way.  Two weeks is a pretty short window
   if you have three or four evening commitments and weekend family plans to 
   work around.  

3) Shorten the time for article creation to two weeks.  Same issues as #2.

4) Shorten publication lead time.  I don't know how that works.



On Wed, Apr 30, 2008 at 10:45:19AM -0400, Paul Jones wrote:
> In these days and times of ever faster computers, and mostly computer
> generated logs, anyone wonder why it still seems to take forever for the
> contest results to come out. Are the sponsors and organizers starting work
> on the results the day after the deadline, or do they wait several months???
> just a question.
> 
> 
> Paul - NN4F
> SECC - LCCC
> Ridgeville, SC
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest

-- 
Kenneth E. Harker WM5R
kenharker at kenharker.com
http://www.kenharker.com/