[CQ-Contest] NAQP Rules

[Tom Haavisto]

Maybe is just me, but I am at a HUGE disadvantage (being too far west in
Ontario) when it comes to running Europe in most any DX contest.  Yes - I
got beat fair and square in the NAQP by a better operator (where Europe is
not the issue), and I could not be happier!  Vlad - VE3JM did a great job,
made a heck of a lot more QSOs, did a better job at SO2R than me, and put
in a better score.  Should I get on CQ Contest and complain that I got
beat?  Hardly.  I got on, had fun, and posted a personal best for this
contest.  I HAVE to be happy with that.

I guess I have two questions for you - did you do your best?  Did YOU have
fun?  If you can answer yes to both, then the question is - what are you
REALLY looking for?  To post a higher score than the guy down the street
with monobanders coming out his ying-yang, even though you only have a city
lot with wire antennas?  Give your head a shake.

Are there better stations that mine?   Hell YES!  Are there better
operators?  Clearly - the answer to that is YES!  Would I like to do
better?  Sure.  But - at the end of the day, when *I* get beat, I am happy
for the winner.  They did a better job, built a better station, live in a
better place - have an *in* with the contest gods - whatever.  The best
person won.  CONGRATS to the winner!!!

Consider this:  VE3 covers a HUGE amount of area, as does W0 (not to
mention the other call areas).  Comparing a W0 from Colorado to a W0 in
Minnesota puts one station at a huge disadvantage.  Is it fair to compare
the two?  Probably not.  Yet - you seen think this seems like a fair
competition.


My advise is - get on, have fun, and if YOU did not win - so be it.
Neither did I.  Welcome to the club.  Be happy for the winner!  They built
a better station, have more money/built a better station/have an "in" with
the contest gods, lived a better life/the phase of the moon is in sync with
their karma/take your pick.  *I* don't live my life whining that I did not
win (at the end of the day who really cares anyway).  Contesting is about
having FUN.  Whining on CQ contest that life is not fair in not fun.  Get
over it.  Life ain't fair.  YOU did not win.  Take comfort that you have
plenty of company.  *I* am happy for having the opportunity to get on and
play.  Many folks did not even have that opportunity.  When you have the
answer to THAT question - maybe you will be happy with what you were able
accomplish :-)

Tom - VE3CX








On Sun, Jan 12, 2014 at 4:58 PM, Jeff Clarke <ku8e at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> Am I the only one who has a big letdown when I check the 3830 scores and
> see how badly I get beaten? I don’t know who figured out that someone like
> myself who is running wire antennas (or someone with wires/tribander beam)
> can be compared evenly to someone with a big station with multiple monoband
> beams on towers just because we are both running 100 watts. That’s silly.
> Those big stations would still probably beat me even if I ran a KW.  And
> it’s not because I’m a poor operator.
>
> Here are some ideas :
>
> 1) Have both a SO2R class and a classic category (one radio) like they
> have in CQWW .
> 2) Add a tribander/wires category
> 3) High and low power classes
> 4) Add an assisted category
> 5) Divide the US into regions and have top ten boxes for each of them. The
> way conditions were yesterday the west coast had even more of an advantage
> then they usually do because 15 and 10 meters were both open pretty good.
>
> Don’t take this email the wrong way (as complaining) because I love NAQP
> CW and the activity yesterday was great. It’s just a pretty stale contest
> because the same 3 or 4 stations win every year for a long as I can
> remember. Plus I would love to compete against someone who has a station
> more equal to mine.
>
> Jeff KU8E
>
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