[CQ-Contest] Is it time to reevaluate CQWW Scoring Rules?

[Doug Smith]

David Kopacz wrote:
> Educate the masses...
> 
> http://www.arrl.org/locate/grid.html

I guess my question is, just how important are the VERY casual participants?

It would be interesting to know what proportion of the stations in large logs (like 6Y1V!) are regular contesters.  For example, how many are worked 
only in the CQWW, and how many show up in the logs for other contests?

My suspicion...  is that CQWW has a fairly high proportion of casual participants.  (I might guess NAQP and ARRL DX -- with simpler exchanges, at 
least for North American stations -- might have a higher proportion.  Sweepstakes -- with the complex exchange -- is probably pretty close to the 
other end of the spectrum.  But it's probably easier to talk someone through the SS exchange than it would be to talk them through figuring their 
6-character grid.)

I don't think you're going to find it practical to get someone to use the above site -- or any of the others suggested -- to figure their 
six-character grid *during* the contest.  (casual participants don't know the contest is coming up -- they're not going to be looking up their grid 
*before* the contest)

'Course, I could be wrong.  The Stew Perry sure has worked out well...

-- 

Doug Smith W9WI
Pleasant View, TN  EM66