[CQ-Contest] WAE QTC tactics

[K1AR at aol.com]

All,
 
I haven't read all the emails in this thread (this is a co-moderated  
enterprise!), so apologies for any repetition.
 
Those who know me well already know how I feel about QTCs. FWIW, here are  
my feelings:
 
1) I get the unique aspect of QTCs in the WAE. There is no other concept  
like it in other contests that I know about, so kudos to the contest's  
long-standing creativity in this regard.
 
2) Ken's point on their adding fun, especially during poor propagation,  
makes sense to me if you're full-time. If you're not and just interested in  
hitting F1 and running guys, the perspective on QTCs rapidly changes -- at 
least  for me.
 
3) This year, I was getting QTC requests in the first hour of the contest.  
All while having a pile of guys calling me. This is not fun -- it is, 
frankly, a  pain in the butt and slows everything down, especially when you are 
not a  full-time op and just interested in working the boys.
 
4) I don't like a rule that is driven by guilt; the guilt of not helping  
out your EU friends who benefit from receiving QTCs. So, as most do, I 
succumb  and painfully send all I have in the spirit of being a good trooper.  
>From my, perhaps selfish point of view, the only thing the contest is  doing 
for me at this point is running my amp harder and heating up the shack.  And, 
we all know that feeling of sending a QTC block and getting "AGN?" on the  
very first one. ARGH!
 
So, no judgment here. I applaud those who operate in the WAE and take  it 
seriously -- QTCs included. Maybe there could be a 4 (?) hour rule added that 
 disallows QTC traffic in the beginning of the contest? Or, maybe it's just 
fine  the way it is. No matter how you look at it, the WAE has been around 
forever, so  the organizers have that and the contest's popularity to be 
proud of for  sure.
 
73, John, K1AR
 
 
 
In a message dated 8/13/2015 8:58:48 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
kenke3x at gmail.com writes:

QTC's  add a very interesting element to contesting, and makes WAE much 
more fun than  most other events, especially in poor  propagation.