[CQ-Contest] WPX OffTimes

[Michael Coslo]

On Mar 17, 2009, at 11:32 PM, Rex Maner wrote:

> Try this on for size,
>
> I was at the radio ready to go and a wind storm took the power out  
> for 35
> min, when I get power back it take's another 10 minutes to get the  
> radio and
> amp going along with the computer.
>
> Now ::  Am I operating for those 45 minutes or do I still have a  
> requirement
> to take another 15 minutes before I can count the time off or start  
> the
> contest if I start at 0045 and loose those 45 minutes as time off ??
>
> Is this to be consider  OFF time ??

If you haven't started operating yet, *your* start of the contest  
happened when you first started transmitting.

Don't look at time off as some sort of "thing". It is just something  
carved out of the time you are operating in the contest. They aren't  
really interested in the time off, it is the time ON that is important.


Rant mode on:


This whole  discussion is a great example of why it is impossible to  
make rules that are comprehensive. There is no rule that cannot be  
picked apart. This being true, we still want to have the contest,  
right? So instead of getting wrapped around the proverbial axle, we  
have to determine the intent of the rule.

The rule doesn't get much simpler - there is no devil in these details:

The intent is to have a two day contest in which Operators can get  
some sleep, and to take nourishment without penalizing themselves in  
the scoring. It also allows multi-Op stations to participate the  
entire contest, because taking breaks is no longer an issue. It is a  
pretty darn good rule at that. Let's go to the rule in question...


Rant off:

"Multi-Operator stations may operate the full 48 hours."

(hopefully no one gets confused by that one)

"Single Operator stations may operate 36 of the 48 hours".

(this means you can't operate more time than that)

"Off times must be a minimum of 60 minutes."

Take a break? don't claim it as time off if it is less than an hour.  
If it is more than an hour, you're golden.

If the single Op takes time off during the contest, and counts that  
time as off time, the amount of off time claimed must be at least one  
hour.

This is to say that if you get up to pee for 2 minutes, you can't  
claim that 2 minutes as off time. Scarf down a hot dog between QSO's  
and it isn't off time. Otherwise we'd eventually get folks claiming  
the spaces between Dits and Dah's count as off time.

Stop operating for 45 minutes? the whole time is treated as "on time".  
Your 36 hour time limit is just all that much closer.

"On" time is all that counts. Once the 36 hours are in, there isn't  
any more. Breaks between operating need to be at least an hour.

If you wait until ten hours into the contest, you have to carve your  
operating time out of the remaining 38 hours.  If you enter the  
contest when there are less than 36 hours left, breaks don't matter  
any more.


-73 de Mike N3LI -