[CQ-Contest] Improving CQ 160 m Contest

[wally]

Victor,

Once upon the time back in 1980ies there was a journal called "Radiosporting"
published by Yuri VE3BMV (now K3BU ).
I have had the pleasure to be DX editor for its 160m DX/contesting section as
sort of continuation of W1BB 160m bulletin.

So, back in 1988, if I am not wrong by year or two, I have suggested that CQ
WW 160m contest adopt grid squares as exchange and also as multipliers plus
"distance covered" bonus.
Then it was unfortunately too early for such a revolutionary ideas to be
accepted by contest sponsors.

Years later Stew Perry contest started and adopted these ideas in its rules.

It will be good to introduce grid square exchange and squares as multipliers
in CQWW 160m contest, since such approach will make this contest much more
fair for participants from different parts of the world.
For example no EU station from Eastern Europe can really compete with say G,
ON or PA station on US states and Canadian provinces worked.
Getting the grid square as multiplier will make things much more equal for
any station, no matter where it is located on the map. 
Excluding of course hams in very remote parts of the world, but even they
will be able to work more multipliers and have more fun than now.
So, do not use the distance for scoring as in SP ,but introduce the grid
squares as multipliers.
I have already proposed this to Andy when he contacted me right after he
became CQWW 160m Contest contest manager.

As for those casual contesters - when such one does not know his/her grid
square - just put "AA" in the log. This has already been included in rules of
 well known WAE contest! Such contacts will not count or will count a given
number of points and just one time as multiplier depending on the decision of
the contest sponsor.

Such change in the rules of CQWW 160 m contest will surely increase
participation since lot of small pistols will be able to work a lot of grid
squares with simple antennas and low power. This will mean more fun for every
one :-).

Just my 2 cents.

73, de Wally LZ2CJ



For the 2010 edition of CQ 160 contest, I propose the following
changes as followons to the 2009 changes:

1.  Make the exchange 59(9) grid where "grid" is 4 character
Maidenhead grid square, a-la the Stew Perry test.

2.  Make the QSO point scoring proportional to distance.  You could
take the Stew Perry scheme and scale it so that the longest possible
QSO is 10 (or maybe 12) points.

3.  Keep multipliers to encourage DXpeditions and pile-ups.

Let the flaming begin.

Victor, K1LT