[CQ-Contest] Leveling the playing field

[Alfred Frugoli]

>
> Drew, K3PA said:
> Beyond that, most competition in most sports for most of us is within your
> own sphere of activity.  I will never win CQ WW for many reasons, only one
> of which is because I'm not the best operator.  I don’t expect the rules to
> equalize the fact that I have one tower with a 2-el yagi, or that I am in
> Kansas.  I know what my achievements with respect to others in similar
> circumstance.  I have fun, and set my own idea of achievement.
>

I've long thought that being able to identify other "stations like mine" to
compare contest scores would be wonderful.  For a while the World Contest
Station Database was maintained by Pete Smith, N4ZR(
http://www.conteststations.com/ - currently suspended).  Stations weren't
categorized at all, but one could browse through and see the hardware a
given station was using.  When/if that resource is resurrected it would be
great if stations were somehow categorized (i.e. little pistol, single
tower, multiple towers, monobanders on all bands, etc.).  Some definitions
would need to be developed so station owners would know how to categorize
their station - and that's where the devil lies - what are the metrics used
to compare stations.  Contest results could be merged with this database so
you could look at scores of all "little pistol" stations that operated SOAB
high power assisted from the northeast United States - for example.

Or, once definitions were developed, this "station category" could be added
to cabrillo files and this type of filtering could be facilitated directly
in the sponsors contest results (if they allow access to the results
database online).

To be clear, I'm not suggesting more categories for certificates, plaques,
etc from the contest sponsors - I'm suggesting a way to compare yourself to
other contesters, thus allowing us to develop our skills and stations
relative to other contesters who operate similar stations.


73 de Al, KE1FO

K3 #3055
K3 #4094
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Check out my Amateur Radio Contesting blog at ke1fo.wordpress.com.