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

[john at kk9a.com]

Since the subject line refers to the WPX contest you get one point for
same country 2300 mile QSO in your example.

John KK9A


To:	cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject:	 Re: [CQ-Contest] The two/four-point rule in WPX
From:	 Richard F DiDonna NN3W <richnn3w at verizon.net>
Date:	 Thu, 10 Apr 2014 09:38:13 -0400
List-post:	 <cq-contest at contesting.com">mailto:cq-contest at contesting.com>
Unfair would be the fact that I can work a station 2300 miles away in
California and I don't receive a single point for that QSO. You, on the
other hand, can work about a dozen different countries with 500 miles of
Helsinki. If you're in Germany, that number increases to about 40
countries.

So, please consider the uproar as to who benefits over whom with respect
to geography.

73 Rich NN3W

On 4/10/2014 8:02 AM, Kim Östman wrote:
Hi John,

Removing the exception simply brings the NA Caribbean stations to everybody
else's level and rules.

If such playing under equal rules is seen as "unfair," then the problem lies
with the basic scoring system, and you can't fix that with this kind of
exception for just a privileged few.

Again, there are two very distinct and separate things at play here:

1) The basic continental-divide scoring system
2) The 2/4-point NA exception to it

Most agree that the first one is fundamentally flawed. But it is so
entrenched that I'm afraid we will not see it changed before our hobby dies
out.

Thus I'm focusing only on the second one. We can’t put band-aid on the big
problem by maintaining a parochial exception that makes it even more
"unfair" for everybody else. Numerous examples can be shown of how this has
distorted contest results (beyond the basic system) and reversed final
placements.

In an event that purports to be a competition and to be worldwide, I think
this piece of basic logic should be patently obvious. I'm happy to say that
private communications around this thread are acknowledging this fact, even
from among the beneficiaries.

I'm still hoping to hear official answers to the two questions posed
previously.

73
Kim OH6KZP