[CQ-Contest] Multiple Contest Callsigns

[Jimk8mr at aol.com]

Thanks to K2AV for writing this for me.
 
For years I've been doing SOMS - Single Op, Multi Station - in the CW SS.  
That contest becomes really fun when the rate goes *UP* as the contest goes  
on.
 
Last year, needing another serious single operator entry for WRTC ranking,  
I did a traditional one station effort from AC8E. I won the Great Lakes  
Division, and was bored out of my mind after the first 14 hours or so.
 
I don't understand the ARRL's phobia about the use of more than one  call 
per transmitter or QTH (family stations exempted). It's not going to  prevent 
manufactured contacts - somebody doing that simply would not send in a  log 
for that call(s). 
 
CQ doesn't share the phobia, and I like it. In the recent CQ 160 contest I  
started over the second night as W3USA, and was running 120 hours with low  
power. It was a lot more fun than tuning around trying to keep the rate 
above  40. I hope nobody I worked twice minded. (I also got back on for the 
last  hour Sunday afternoon as K8MR, for another 40 or so QSOs. But I would not 
object  to the concept of forbidding this).
 
I would suggest a couple of variations on what K2AV suggested. I don't see  
a need to limit an operator to 24 hours among the various calls. If he is 
still  going strong at hour 24 at 0200z Monday, let him go. I don't see the 
need  to limit it to two calls. And I don't see need for an off time when  
switching calls,  But these are minor points.
 
I sense that there are lots of people who by the end of SS (or other  
contests) who know they aren't going to win and don't care. But they would have  
a lot of fun as "fresh meat". And the rest of us contest carnivores would be 
 delighted to take what they offer.
 
 
73  -  Jim
 
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 2/1/2013 7:26:15 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
olinger at bellsouth.net writes:

Reads  like, you can do anything, except the rules are off the table, so
basically  you are talking about people selling the Sweepstakes.  Clubs will
for  club competition.  But individuals to other individuals?  Folks do  
this
word of mouth thing and that's how good things grow.

But you  take the rules entirely off the table and you hope the big clubs
are in  there.  After that, you wanna pay money to advertise the SS on  TV?

The biggest individually self-limiting aspect the contest has  is
saturation.  Work out the stations and slow way down, but this  encourages
"fresh meat" stations on Sunday that get a lot of  attention.  At PVRC we
tell the guys that can only put in 5-6-7 hours  to do it on Sunday, and run,
not S&P, and forget about chasing mults on  spots.  If by increased
participation you mean total QSO count, that  strategy works.

If someone could suggest a rule change, and this is  partially allowed now,
but is a mechanical nightmare, and that is starting  over with a new call
sign.  If you change stations and use "unused"  transmitters you can do it
now.  NCCC used it extensively at one  time.

You could ALLOW a second call sign to be used at the same station  on the
same equipment by the same operator.  Once second call sign in  use, log of
first call sign used by that op is frozen and can't be used  again in the
contest.  Either call sign could only be used once in the  contest and
cannot have overlapping start and finish times.  Stop of  one and start of
the other must be separated by a legal off time (30  minutes currently)
Think everything you need to enforce that is in the  log.  With that rule
some of us in club competition would start Sunday  morning with second call
sign.  The timing of the switch to maximize a  club score would be a real
science.  A pair of logs from the same  operator would be listed and scored
separately, eligible for awards only  separately.  Separate log submission
to the robot.   The two  logs combined subject to the 24 hour limit.  It
would sure change  Sunday afternoon.  Let the clubs worry about how they
award their  internal awards.

Those who want to max out for top scores and awards  just keep doing what
they are doing.  Just more call signs to work  overall.  "Double-signing"
would be optional and up to the  individual.  Doesn't mess with records,
other rules, just allows an  option that might make Sundays fun.

If you want to leave it to the  operator whether they want to sleep or not,
then just say that the log of  one call in a pair must have all its "on"
times entirely within the legal  "off" times of the other, and all current
rules for time and max still  apply to each log separately.  ARRL log
scoring program handle that  easily.  Operators would restart logging
program on the other  call.  Logging program coders would be asked to not
support instant  call flipping.

The improvement in total score from an individual op's  two logs would come
not so much from lack of sleep as it would from making  Sunday meaningful
when you've operated hard on Saturday.

That's a  rule change that wouldn't mess with scoring, records, awards, etc,
and  would increase the total QSO count, especially on Sunday.  Clubs  would
need to strategize.  But they're deep into that  already.

Just a thought.

73,  Guy.