[CQ-Contest] Improving the Fabulous CQ 160 Contest

[Julius Fazekas]

Tom,

I'm not advocating a change to any contest (except maybe dropping 5NN, but that's been talked to death already). I like both of the SP events as well as CQ 160, just the way they are.

I can understand the argument for standardization, but prefer the variety provided by all of the 160 (and other) events.

If participation was significantly dropping off, then maybe someone would need to tinker. I don't think any of these contests have that problem. IMHO, leave them alone.

Too, you can get your Grid Square using your Canadian Postal Code. I have to think there is some similarly simple method of finding this in the rest of the world too. 

I'm all for working casual QSOs in contests as well, even if it means taking time out to explain things. My thought is that I want that person to go away with a QSO AND a positive perspective on contesting. 

The NAQP events are perfect for the exchange you mention ;o)

73,
Julius  

Julius Fazekas
N2WN

Tennessee Contest Group
TnQP http://www.tnqp.org/

Elecraft K2/100 #4455
Elecraft K3/100 #366


--- On Thu, 1/8/09, Tom Haavisto <kamham69 at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Tom Haavisto <kamham69 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Improving the Fabulous CQ 160 Contest
> To: phriendly1 at yahoo.com
> Cc: tod at k0to.us, cq-contest at contesting.com, Jimk8mr at aol.com
> Date: Thursday, January 8, 2009, 10:41 PM
> I think you are missing the point, so lets see if I can
> clarify.
> 
> Typically in a contest, I will be calling CQ.  Maybe I
> sound "needy" -
> whatever works I guess, but I manage to get a number of
> folks to call
> me.  "I am not in the contest.  I want to give you
> some points - what
> information do you need?"  Name, state - SIMPLE stuff.
>  Asking the
> person to go on the internet to QRZ.COM, HAMCALL.NET,
> whatever to look
> themselves up, figure out what grid they are in is a
> non-starter.  I
> know the answer I would give if the roles were reversed -
> "Why don't
> YOU go to the website, and get the information
> yourself?"  I typically
> run unassisted, so this is not going to work well....
> 
> Consider the same scenario on CW - I will give out ON, and
> if they
> hear the folks I am working, they will hear GA, FL, NY,
> whatever, they
> can make a pretty good guess that he needs to send his
> state.  If they
> hear five or nine digits go whizzing by, do you really
> expect them to
> figure out "OK - they are looking for zip
> codes...."  What about folks
> outside the US?
> 
> I guess I am also wondering - why are some folks trying to
> hijack an
> already popular contest, and change how it works?  If there
> is that
> much interest in having a contest (other than the SP) where
> grids are
> exchanged, then by all means - have at it.  Makes the
> rules, pick a
> weekend, and start publicizing it.  It will take a lot of
> work, and if
> the rules are good, you may manage to get a contest folks
> are
> interested in.
> 
> I love the SP - its great, but I am sure most of us here
> realize you
> will NOT be making QSO's with a person who just got on,
> and wants to
> give out a few points to help out his fellow hams.  You DO
> see this in
> the CQ and the ARRL contests.  Its also a chance to work
> some DX.  I
> expect in part this accounts for more entries, and more
> unique
> callsigns appearing in the logs of folks who do send logs
> in.
> 
> 
> Tom - VE3CX
> 
> 
> On Thu, Jan 8, 2009 at 8:11 AM, Julius Fazekas
> <phriendly1 at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > If someone in the US doesn't know their grid,
> couldn't they just send there Zip Code?
> >
> > Julius Fazekas
> > N2WN
> 
> >
> >> From: Jimk8mr at aol.com <Jimk8mr at aol.com>
> >> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Improving the Fabulous
> CQ 160 Contest
> >> To: tod at k0to.us, cq-contest at contesting.com
> >> Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2009, 4:59 PM
> >> I enjoy the Stew Perry in part because of the grid
> square
> >> exchange.  I  like
> >> to dream that I am working all those cool grids on
> six
> >> meters, even though
> >> it's really on 160.
> >>
> >> Tod is onto a good idea of a default "I
> don't know
> >> my grid" entry, but I
> >> think it should be put in the log by the serious
> guy.  If a
> >> little guy  knows
> >> from the rules to send "AA11", he very
> likely to
> >> know, or to learn, what  his
> >> grid square is.
> >>
> >> Especially on SSB, there would be a lot of
> "what's
> >> your  QTH?" probing to get
> >> a proper grid square from an unknowing  person.
> (After all,
> >> he could be a new
> >> mult.)  If all failed, then "AA11" 
> could be
> >> entered as an "I worked this
> >> guy, but he was clueless" entry.  If  a lazy
> big gun
> >> logged a weak guy as "AA11"
> >> and the guy sent in a log showing  otherwise, then
> the big
> >> gun would lose the
> >> qso, maybe with a modest  penalty.
> >>
> >> The meaningless RST could be dropped to keep the
> exchange
> >> to two items -  the
> >> Grid Square and S/P/or CQ Zone.  K8MR sends  EN91
> OH;
> >> PJ2T sends FK62 09.
> >>
> >> It would be further cool to have the CQ computers
> score the
> >> contest in
> >> several ways.  The traditional way; a Stew Perry
> pure
> >> distance way; a  combination
> >> of the two, with multipliers (whatever they might
> be) and
> >> qso points
> >> determined by distance. So there might be several
> winners,
> >> or maybe even the  same guy
> >> winning under all scoring systems.
> >>
> >> Lots of interesting ways to do this, if the Not
> Invented
> >> Here syndrome of
> >> other CQ contests can be avoided.
> >>
> >>
> >> 73  -  Jim   K8MR
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> In a message dated 1/7/2009 4:32:24 P.M. Eastern
> Standard
> >> Time, tod at k0to.us
> >> writes:
> >>
> >> It has  been said that "plagiarism is the
> sincerest
> >> form of flattery".
> >>
> >> I am in  agreement with the thought that it would
> not be
> >> appropriate to
> >> "imitate"  the Stew Perry Contest.
> However, it
> >> might be appropriate to
> >> incorporate a  key feature of that contest -- the
> grid
> >> square as a part of
> >> the exchange --  in a revised CQ 160 Contest.