[CQ-Contest] Fwd: WRTC 18 Qualifying

[David Siddall]

Mats,

Thanks for your thoughts.  As I noted WAE & RDXC were elevated ABOVE CQWPX
and IARU.   RDXC & WAE certainly are enjoyed by many, they are fun
contests, but they do not draw numbers of competitors with worldwide
distribution equivalent to CQWPX & IARU.   Do we really need social
engineering to push competitors into this or that contest and tell us what
we "should" like?  The numbers demonstrate the rankings for what we *do*
like as a group, rather than individual preferences.

73,  Dave K3ZJ


On Tue, Dec 2, 2014 at 11:30 PM, Mats Strandberg <sm6lrr at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dave,
>
> While I do argue with the 2018 organizers on the Assistsd/Non Assisted
> issue, I fully support the decision to elevate WAE and RDXC to the same
> level and CQWW and CQ WPX.
>
> Why?
>
> Simply becuase those two contests are globally considered much bigger than
> they are in some continents..I do consider the CQ contests superb and they
> will forever remain as two of my favourite Top Five contests. However,
> without question, WAE and RDXC have in late years become even more fun to
> participate in - and this not only to Europeans and Russians. They are now
> by me and many others considered at same popularity level as the CQ
> contests.
>
> RDXC is not a regional contest. It is a Worldwide contest where Russians
> compete separately and the rest in a worldwide group. Working DX stations
> is heavily stimulated by different points compared to working stations from
> the same continent. The log checking and penalties system requires better
> operator skills compared to some other contests where the contest echange
> is more or less given. In RDXC, you nned to make sure you receive both the
> other stations's callsign and exchange correctly. Moreover, you must
> moderate your speed in a way that ensures that the other station also gets
> your call and exchange correctly. If not, penalties for both of you. I know
> this has caused some US frustration, but in my honest opinion, this develop
> and stimulate true operator skills rather than skills of relying on the
> database of the log program.
>
> WAE used to be a contest I did not pay attention to because of QTCs. They
> bothered me because I did not feel I was control of them. It was a new way
> of contesting and I was against and did not work WAE for many years. Then I
> gradualy started working it with pleasure but always avoiding exhange of
> the "troublesome" QTCs. One day I decided to open my eyes and challenge
> myself to try echanging QTCs. From that day I got stuck!  The skill-set
> needed to work WAE in full extent by exchanging QTCs is different from
> normal contesting and the operator that masters that additional complexity
> of WAE should definitely receive the same credits as the one that runs 300+
> rates exchanging predictable zones in a CQWW.
>
> It is time for Americans to finally explore RDXC and WAE in a serious way
> and with 1000 points value, be sure the bands will be boiling also in North
> America those weekends. Run rates in RDXC are excellent for any station
> participating - for sure not only for Russians.  Particpate and enjoy
> instead of maintaining a prejudiced opinion about these two great events!
>
> 73 de Mats RM2D (SM6LRR)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> 2014-12-02 23:15 GMT+03:00 David Siddall <hhamwv at gmail.com>:
>
>> The difference in rules between WRTC2014 and WRTC2018 that struck me was
>> that the prior emphasis on worldwide contests while accommodating the
>> major
>> regionals was abandoned.
>>
>> For WRTC2014, only CQWW received full 1000 value, with CQWPX at 950 and
>> IARU at 900.  Major regional contests such as ARRL, Russian, WAE, AA  were
>> 900 or less.  But for WRTC2018, instead of elevating the truly worldwide
>> contests -- CQWPX & IARU -- the organizers instead emphasize European
>> regional contests -- WAE and Russian -- both of which now get the top 1000
>> value.
>>
>> This is a step backward from promoting worldwide competition. It elevates
>> two Euro-centric competitions with less participation above the more
>> popular worldwide contests as well as above the other major regionals such
>> as ARRL and AA.  Having lived in areas of the world where propagation
>> doesn't support full time efforts in the regionals (whether or not one can
>> "work anyone" but for fewer points/mults), I appreciate the truly
>> worldwide
>> competitions that we have.  It says something that these rose to the top
>> in
>> popularity in the free marketplace of contests.
>>
>> Just my observation.
>>
>> 73,  Dave K3ZJ
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>
>