[CQ-Contest] The two/four-point rule in WPX

[Kim Östman]

Hi Ed,

Thanks for putting thought into this! A few comments:

> This whole issue is really just about Carib and VE and KL7 stations 
> since the change of 1 vs 2 points for USA stations is not material 
> since there just are not enough Carib and VE sand KL7 tations to 
> work to matter.  For the Carib and VE and KL7  stations it does 
> matter that every US station is 2 points or 4 points vs half that value.

I completely agree.


> NA and SA are hardly dominating this contest despite the rules discussed.

Please consider also the numbers I posted for 2005-2013. But in any case,
NA/SA dominance is not my point. My point is that some NA stations are
unfairly favored through an exception to the rules, instead of everybody
playing with the same fair-play rules and simply accepting the consequences
of location.

 
> Yes, if a competitive Carib station shows up, EU will not beat them.  But
is
> there a DX contest where EU would ever beat a competitive Carib station?

Yes. For the most recent example that sparked this thread, you can take a
look at this year's WPX SSB SOAB HP top-3 on 3830 and consider the effect of
the NA 2/4 vs. SA+EU 1/3 QSO-point exception.


> Like us in the US, the competition in EU should be about EU. 

If the competition in NA should then similarly be about NA, why is there a
rules exception that favors certain NA stations?


> The World competition is about desired mult and DX country
locations.always has 
> been always will be.  And this is not a US issue whatsoever.  That rule
> difference would be lost in the rounding on my score.  It is a big impact
on
> Carib stations.  But there or not, for most categories, its not going to
> insure EU winning the category.  

I agree about location. However, my point is not about ensuring that EU or
anybody wins anything, it's about enabling fair competition through fair
play.

I mean, this is really simple: Everybody should play under the same rules,
and if that means the continental divides, then just accept the
consequences, i.e., you can only win from certain locations. 

Personally, I'm fine losing to a northern AF 3-point station if I'm working
from 1-point southern EU. I accept that I have no chance whatsoever here
from OH land. It's OK because it affects everybody the same, and that is the
essence of fair play.

=> BUT, if the contest sponsor thinks the continental divide is unfair, what
kind of logic makes it OK to attempt a "fix" by favoring just a few NA
stations and screwing others over by doing so?

73
Kim OH6KZP