[CQ-Contest] What is Multi to you?

[Yuri]

Gerry,
Isn't  SO2R Dual CQ operation (a-la CT1BOH, N6MJ etc.) is the same type of <quote> "elimination of a lot of people from ever being in contention for top spots in the category" <unquote>?
All that you said below is true for ANY category.

I think it's all about the rules.
If they aren't broken and they allow to do such, then... one either needs to change the rules or has to accept the fact.  Maybe it's time to research some other ways to attract (more) new competitors, like doing more WRTC-style (live) competitions during June FDays, working more closely with schools, colleges and other youth organizations and so on...

Best regards,
Yuri VE3DZ

-----Original Message-----
From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Gerry Hull
Sent: Tuesday, May 9, 2017 10:28 AM
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] What is Multi to you?

Interesting Thread.

I've been contesting over 40 years.  In all that time, 99% of my efforts have been at M/S or M/2 stations.
For more than 30 of those years, a multi-single was a station with one main radio and one multiplier radio.

With a single tower and a good antenna complement, winning M/S in North America has been possible with two radios.  We did it at more than one station.

If you read my comments on CQ Contest, you know that I don't live in the past -- I love technology, and advancing the state of the art is where I'm at.

However, in this case, I think the case of N radios in a M/S is a bastardization of M/S.  Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
I applaud the Huge M/S multi-radio efforts by K1LZ and others -- very cool technology -- but all that does is eliminate a lot of people from ever being in contention for top spots in the category.  If you look at the size of the scores in these 5-to-10 radio Multi-singles, they are completely out of line with "traditional" multi-singles.

In CQWW, there used to be a category for "experimental" operations ...  I'm sure those guys building those huge M/S operations would not accept being put in to such a category...  However, how do we encourage new stations, and long-time "traditional" M/S stations to compete in the category?
 Since there are not a HUGE number of these Many-TX-interlocked M/S, and they love to one-up each other -- why not let them compete in a category of their own?

There's lots of technology/technique happening in the M/S space without going to such extremes.

73,

Gerry W1VE