[CQ-Contest] Announcing the North America SSB Sprint-boycott from "MAR"

[Charles Harpole]

What is happening is....... the lid holding contesters to old
concepts/rules has come off.  Hams are becoming more aware of the arbitrary
and unfair slants of big contests and have now become more willing to
complain and cite legitimate problems.

I had such an awakening to learn how USA-centered are the big 4, CQ
Not-World Wide and ARRL dx.  Lumping everything from Istanbul to Taiwan as
a continent equal to EU or think automated/remote stations are somehow
almost equivalent to the old-fashioned-way shows up examples of the rank
contradictions.   Holding together obsolete concepts and rules just so ops
can compare their own performances over thirty years is demonstrably
foolish due to changes in radio performance and automation..... and
changing standards of personal honesty.

The situation coming to a head now requires significant re-thinking on
basic levels;  stop-gap changes and patchwork will soon break these
activities we so enjoy.  A CONTEST means TO COMPETE...not just have a busy
operating weekend; but competing means some measure of fairness and
equality of performance possible among the competitors.... otherwise it is
not really a contest.

73, Charly

On Sat, Jan 24, 2015 at 8:01 AM, Paul Stoetzer <n8hm at arrl.net> wrote:

> This contest doesn't use sections as multipliers. It just randomly combines
> a couple of the Canadian areas. Plus it lumps DC in with Maryland.
>
> "Scoring: Multiply total valid contacts by the sum of the US states,
> Canadian multipliers (see below), and other North American countries to get
> final score (do not count US and Canada as countries). The District of
> Columbia counts as Maryland. KH6 DOES count as a state in this contest,
> even though it is not a North American country. The eight Canadian
> multipliers are Maritime (VE1, VE9, VO1, VO2, and VY2); VE2 through VE7,
> and Yukon-Northern Territories (VY1, VYØ, and VE8). Non-North American
> countries do not count as multipliers but do count for
> contact credit for North American stations."
>
> This is overly complex and doesn't make much sense. Sweepstakes' use of
> sections (including MAR and MDC) is consistent and logical. This is not
> (and neither is NAQP's lumping of DC in with Maryland).
>
> 73,
>
> Paul, N8HM
>
> On Fri, Jan 23, 2015 at 6:58 PM, Ron Notarius W3WN <wn3vaw at verizon.net>
> wrote:
>
> > C'mon Mike, not this again.
> >
> > Look, if you feel that there shouldn't be a Maritime Section in the RAC,
> > and
> > can convince them of that, I'm all for it!
> >
> > But this is an administrative decision of RAC.
> >
> > If a contest uses ARRL/RAC Sections as Multipliers, as many traditionally
> > have done so for decades... that is the way to get things changed.
> >
> > In other words, I'm not saying you're wrong.  I'm saying that you're
> > barking
> > up the wrong tree!
> >
> > 73, ron w3wn
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of
> > Mike & Coreen Smith VE9AA
> > Sent: Friday, January 23, 2015 4:34 PM
> > To: cq-contest at contesting.com
> > Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Announcing the North America SSB Sprint-boycott
> > from "MAR"
> >
> > This is no slight to the fine fellows of the Sprint, nor my many FB
> friends
> > in "contesting land",
> >
> > but please read my comments re: "MAR".(found in your rules).my opinions
> are
> > those of most of the members of MCC, so
> >
> > although I won't officially speak "for them", you can rest assured most
> of
> > them feel the same way.
> >
> > I have now rec'd 3 direct emails re: the Sprints, so feel I can comment
> > publicly on this as I am being targeted to get on and be active.
> >
> > ==================
> >
> >
> >
> > Bob/Chris/Dean et al, VE9=NB, VE1=NS, and VY2=PEI.has been since
> 1993.there
> > is no such thing as a Maritime contest section except in the minds of the
> > ARRL for Sweepstakes and evidently the NA Sprints. (all others allow
> > provinces)
> >
> > Even in our own RAC contests, we are allowed to use our respective
> > provinces.
> >
> >
> >
> > You may wonder why participation in (All) Sprints is so extremely low
> from
> > (ahem) what you call "MAR"...now you know.  Participation is historically
> > low for any contest which forces us to use an arbitrary multiplier
> lumping
> > 3
> > official provinces together.  I know, I have checked.
> >
> >
> >
> > Please change the rules to reflect what 98% of other contests allow
> > (everyone to send their own province) and I will bet you a cold 807
> > activity
> > levels will go up.  I myself will make it a point to get on for every
> one.
> >
> >
> >
> > With respect, but I will be boycotting this contest (and all Sprints),
> ARRL
> > SS and the CaQP probably forever until it changes.
> >
> >
> >
> > Mike VE9AA
> >
> > p.s.- As promised, I passed the message along to the MCC group, but you
> can
> > realistically expect a low turnout - sorry.
> >
> > p.p.s- I mean, you wouldn't expect a section to be created that combined
> > RI,
> > DE and ME and call it RIDE ME, now would you?  Who would want to compete
> in
> > that?
> >
> > p.p.p.s-My other option is to get on, participate and send "NB" but
> that's
> > just being evil.  I don'\t want to mess up everyones logs, I just want
> > fairness across the board.
> >
> >
> >
> > Mike dit dit
> >
> >
> >
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> >
> >
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-- 
Charly, HS0ZCW