[CQ-Contest] Be careful what you wish for

[John Geiger]

"How do you make SS fun on Sunday?"

Have the NFL take that week off?

73 John AF5CC

On Mon, Nov 6, 2017 at 10:12 PM, W0MU Mike Fatchett <w0mu at w0mu.com> wrote:

> Sunday has been bad for years.  Why is this year more special or more bad
> (sk) than other years?
>
> Maybe people can only handle it for so many years before it is no longer
> fun.
>
> We are no different than regular people and there are many many things to
> keep us entertained or busy other than radio.  When things are no longer
> fun, people stop participating.
>
> How do you make SS fun on Sunday?
>
> W0MU
>
>
> On 11/6/2017 12:16 PM, Jeff Clarke wrote:
>
>> That's nice Kelly but in the end most people just want to have fun and
>> right now Sweepstakes isn't on Sunday. That shows with the lack of activity
>> on Sunday. I can't think of another all-band contest other than Sweepstakes
>> where you can only work a station once?
>>
>> BTW we don't run out of CA stations to work after sunset. I first went to
>> 20 meters on Saturday at 2145z. Stayed there until about 2210z when I went
>> to 40 meters. I went back to 20 meters at 2339z. Stayed there until 0215z
>> (The band was open all over the country , including CA, from here in GA.)
>> and then back to 40 meters. That's why my 80 meter QSO count was lower than
>> it normally is. I tried 80 later on Saturday night but there wasn't much
>> activity because everyone was on 40 meters. My guess is that most of the
>> people who have higher numbers on 80 meters were SO2R and were interleaving
>> QSO's between 80 and 40 meters.
>>
>> Jeff
>>
>>
>>
>> On 11/6/2017 1:29 PM, ve4xt at mymts.net wrote:
>>
>>> The main benefit I see from the one-Q per station rule is it
>>> democratizes SS unlike other contests.
>>>
>>> Here is what leads me to this conclusion: megabuck GA station is going
>>> to work out California on 20 and higher before sunset. Because of this, his
>>> 6/6/6 on 80 (cmon, have a sense of humor) is not as valuable, so he's
>>> primarily left working on 80 what he can't work on the high bands, just
>>> like everyone else.
>>>
>>> Give him the chance to work all those W6s again on 40 and 80, which he
>>> can do far easier than Joe Lunchbucket with an inverted vee at 50, and
>>> again on 160 with his high dipole, and you've turned SS into a
>>> megabuck-station-only contest like many of the others.
>>>
>>> SS is unique in how small stations can still do quite well. Much of that
>>> is due to the neutering of multi-element low-band antennas through the
>>> one-q per station rule. I like the fact a good op may need nothing more
>>> than a tribander and shorty-forty on the same tower to win.
>>>
>>> I get that Sunday doldrums are a drag, but I'm not sure opening up this
>>> particular rule is the best answer.
>>>
>>> 73, kelly, ve4xt
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>> On Nov 6, 2017, at 10:36, Jeff Clarke <ku8e at ku8e.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> I love CW contests with a passion but I might consider not doing CW SS
>>>> FT anymore.  I took just about all my off time in one stretch starting at
>>>> 0800 Z so I could get a decent nights sleep because I dreading operating
>>>> (BORING) on Sunday. The only thing that kept me going was that I needed
>>>> about 5 multipliers for a sweep. Watching football when operating also
>>>> helped me get thru it ! If it wasn't for those things I might have quit
>>>> early.
>>>>
>>>> Maybe it's the right time to think about a rules change because it
>>>> isn't  going to get better anytime soon. The declining sunspots will make
>>>> participation decrease even more than it has.  I'm still fairly young in my
>>>> 50's and I'm afraid in 10 years there won't be anyone to work in a CW
>>>> contests. Lots of checks in the 1950's and 1960's. Not as many in the
>>>> 1970's when I was licensed. Very few above the 1990's and 2000 +.
>>>>
>>>>   I know it's been discussed before but maybe it's time to allow a QSO
>>>> with the same station on multiple bands. It would at least make SS more
>>>> fun. Before anyone argues this wouldn't be fair consider pretty much the
>>>> same people win every year because they have a good station/antennas and
>>>> are SO2R experts. Plus most have a geographical advantage as well. I will
>>>> admit I have it a lot better in Georgia then I did in Ohio. But not as good
>>>> as those on the west coast. How else could I make almost make 400 QSO's on
>>>> 20 meters using a dipole at 40 feet? Plus when 40 meters goes long it's
>>>> good for me too because the guys north of me can't work each other. That
>>>> gives me somewhat of a captive audience. On the other hand 80 meters isn't
>>>> as good for me as it was in Ohio. Always get beat out when a station
>>>> further away is called by someone closer to them. So no matter the
>>>> advantage you might enjoy it might be offset by someone else's on another
>>>> band.
>>>>
>>>> I also wish they would make SO2R a separate category because it gives
>>>> someone an advantage similar to SOA.
>>>>
>>>> Jeff KU8E
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
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