[CQ-Contest] Fwd: Re: Some SSCW Ideas

Wed Nov 8 23:23:32 EST 2017

Hans, I worked my first sweepstakes in 1963.  Believe me, what I'm proposing would make SS feel much like what I experienced back then.  There was good activity on all bands, seemingly endless pool of stations to work.    There were big guns with pileups even on Sunday afternoon. There were little pistols like myself that were still using their Novice gear with the addition of a VFO.   Some stations only worked a single band, because they were using Command Sets. We had the same variations in stations and capabilities just like we do today, we simply didn't have the technology to build a contest infrastructure that would support tracking and scoring a broad diversity of effort.  

We aren't really changing anything, we are simply acknowledging activities that already exist inside the existing SS structure and expanding scoring to include those realities.

Think about when Sweepstakes was two weekends!  Eventually operators and equipment improved to the point that the second weekend became like a long Sunday afternoon for many.  The duration of the contest changed, and the contest was good for another several years. We're now in a crisis, because technology and operating skills have allowed us to do so much more in much less time.  One answer to this "problem" is to make the contest shorter, but if we cut the contest down to less than 24 hours (or even 30 hours)  we lose the ability to experience the full daily propagation cycle, and the fun and strategy that goes with it.

I humbly suggest that we look inside the existing time block and find out what we can do to better fill that time. Longer exchanges?  Hell, no!  Splitting the time into a high band and low band segment? No, it only limits options and ignores propagation.  So we're left with is opening up the contest to a huge increase in QSOs and scoring opportunities by allowing a QSO per band and perhaps multipliers per band as well.  Additionally, we have people in SS that can only operate one band, for a variety of reasons. Let them compete as a single-band entry!  Let others even compete for single band awards on several bands if they wish. Consider incentives that will increase participation!  

Or shall we just watch this contest die over the next several years?

Paul, K5AF

I clearly remember that during my first few sweepstakes I was 
In a message dated 11/8/2017 3:53:21 PM Central Standard Time, kzerohb at gmail.com writes:

That sounds like an interesting new contest.

But it isn’t Sweepstakes.

On Wed, Nov 8, 2017 at 15:19 Paul Schaffenberger via CQ-Contest <cq-contest at contesting.com> wrote:

 From: paulkb8n at aol.com
 To: CQcontest at contesting.Com, ed.n3cw at gmail.com
 Cc: CQcontest at contesting.Com
 Sent: 11/8/2017 9:55:30 AM Central Standard Time
 Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Some SSCW Ideas

 Once again, let me restate the simplest and the most inclusive way to do this contest.  This would be the most competitive and the most wide-open contest ever!  Something for everyone, emphasizing participation!  This potentially keeps a most bands available throughout the contest period.

 QSO's: Once per band.

 Operating Categories:  Single band*, high band, low band and all band.  *Single band stations could operate and post scores on up to three bands, but low, high and all band competitors cannot post single band scores from inside their overall log.  Any station could participate and provide QSOs on every band regardless of their competition status. Therefore, a single band competitor (or a hi or low band competitor) could operate on open bands and provide QSOs to stations competing there.  In place of a number, those stations would send "NC" instead of a number (non-competitor) and the rest of the exchange.  The QSO would still provide points and multtipliers.

 Power categories:  Same.

 Time frame:  Same, operate 24 of 30 hours

 QSOs - once per band.  Tradition band modes only, digital mode contests should be separate events.

 Registration:  Each competitor wishing to  compete, be eligible for awards and have scores listed in QST must declare their specific category within 24 hours of the start of the contest.  Once submitted, the category cannot be changed.

 Result:  More categories, more chances for QSOs, more opportunity for awards, more band activity, more participation from stations with limited band choices.  More fun!

 We have the technology to easily adopt these changes.  Let's keep the same basics of Sweepstakes (power categories and operating time) and change the internals to create crazy-fun competition!

 Paul, K5AF

 In a message dated 11/7/2017 9:57:15 AM Central Standard Time,
ed.n3cw at gmail.com writes:

  Some ideas for consideration for future SSCW contests:

 1. Keep the same start time, but make the SSCW contest a 12 hour one.
 Would eliminate the boring Sunday afternoons and leave more time for
 football.
 2. Make the first 12 hours for 80 and 40 meters, and the second 12
 hours for 20, 15, and 10. Reset the "stations worked" clock for the second
 segment.
 3. Make the first 12 hours for CW, and the second 12 for FT8. I think
 FT8 contests are coming. Should be easy to modify the s/w for a more
 meaningful exchange, and integrate FT8 and N1MM for logging.
 4. Reconfigure the format to two CW segments, perhaps 6 to 8 hours
 apiece, with one on Saturday and one on Sunday.
 5. Make the second 12 hours have a rule change that everyone has to
 change their entry power somehow. HP goes to LP, LP goes to QRP or HP, etc.
 The second 12 hour "stations worked" clock would be reset. Might essentially
 be two separate contests over the one weekend for reporting purposes.
 6. Have two SS weekends as we do now, but have the first weekend CW for
 first 12 hours, then SSB for second 12 hours. Alternate this for the second
 SS weekend - SSB for first 12 hours, CW for second 12.
 7. Operate SS normally for the first 12 hours. Take a break, get some
 sleep. Then consider a one or two hour CW "drag race" Sunday late afternoon
 or early evening, where stations return to the air and go for max score in
 that one or two hour window. Reset the "stations worked" clock. Essentially
 two separate contests.

 Just trying to think of something new.

 --Ed-

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73, de Hans, K0HB
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"Just a boy and his radio"™