[CQ-Contest] WRTC 18 Qualifying

[Steve London]

Mats,

You would have a very different perspective on WAE and RDXC if you were 
in my shoes. In the southwest corner of the W5 call area, we simply do 
not have much propagation to Europe during the time of year that those 
contests take place. Technically, RDXC is a worldwide contest, but 
activity outside of Europe is very small. You talk about run rates in 
RDXC ? That is a joke from here. Let me tell you an anecdote about my 
one serious RDXC effort, which I needed to operate to qualify for 
WRTC-2010...

Knowing that I would work very few Europeans, I focused on working 
casual USA stations on SSB. These are stations who had no idea what 
contest this was, and I just asked them for a signal report and QSO 
number (usually #1). I was careful to NOT tell them this was the Russian 
DX Contest - that would discourage many Americans from making a QSO. 
These casual QSO's made up 2/3 of my total QSO's. As an added bonus, 
none of these stations sent in their logs, so I had no score reduction 
for unmatched exchanges. I considered this a disingenuous way of winning 
a WRTC-2010 team leader slot, but that was the way the WRTC-2010 
qualifying was structured, and the way the RDXC rules are written.

73,
Steve, N2IC


On 12/02/2014 09:30 PM, Mats Strandberg 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
>> _______________________________________________
>> CQ-Contest mailing list
>> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
>> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
>>
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
>