[CQ-Contest] Do serial numbers in contests hinder participation?

[Julius Fazekas]

Jim,

To me the answer is: it depends.

Serial numbers are fine, but challenging if you play in multiple contests both with and without them. Tougher yet, if you mix DX and Domestic contests in the brew.

I probably would lean towards the area I have better propagation and fields more mobile operations or has a tremendous variety of fixed stations, regardless of exchange... Which is probably why I was more active in the OkQP than VaQP. W0AA/m and W4W/m did make the ND and Va parties more fun for me.

Hope to reciprocate in the WV and Tn QSO Parties this year with mobile ops of my own. Have Rita's support and some experience (read better antennas) so should make more of a dent ;o)


cheers,
j

Julius Fazekas
N2WN

Tennessee Contest Group
http://www.k4ro.net/tcg/index.html

Tennessee QSO Party: Sunday, 6 Sept 2009
http://www.tnqp.org/

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


--- On Mon, 3/23/09, Jim Reisert AD1C <jjreisert at alum.mit.edu> wrote:

> From: Jim Reisert AD1C <jjreisert at alum.mit.edu>
> Subject: [CQ-Contest] Do serial numbers in contests hinder participation?
> To: "cq contest" <cq-contest at contesting.com>
> Date: Monday, March 23, 2009, 4:35 PM
> Hi Folks,
> 
> This weekend there were two fairly active state QSO
> parties: Oklahoma
> and Virginia.  I made over 80 QSOs with OK stations,
> but less than a
> dozen with VA.  Why?  VA required a serial
> number, I was logging in my
> every-day logging program, and had no real way to keep
> track the
> serial numbers I sent (short of scribbling them on a piece
> of paper).
> 
> So while I'm in favor of a contest exchange that isn't
> necessarily
> pre-determined (i.e. CQ Zone), using such an exchange
> hindered my
> participation.
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 
> I remember seeing something in the NY QSO Party comments
> about serial
> numbers.  Note that two of the most popular state QSO
> parties (CA and
> PA) both use serial numbers in the exchange.
> 
> I'm not lobbying for change, but just wondering how much
> use of serial
> numbers impact casual participation in a contest. 
> Please don't get
> started about using checksums based on what the other guy
> sent!  :-)
> 
> 73 - Jim AD1C
> 
> -- 
> Jim Reisert AD1C/Ø, <jjreisert at alum.mit.edu>,
> http://www.ad1c.us
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