[CQ-Contest] NCJ Article RE: Sweepstakes Change Suggestions

[Art Boyars]

 SS CW is the acme of my ham radio year.  (SS SSB and RAC Canada Day are
tied for 2nd and 3rd.)

Particularly from a CW perspective, I do not find Sunday to be the
doldrums.  As a third-tier op with a fourth-tier station (single 100W radio
and a dipole), there are plenty of stations I have yet to work on Sunday,
and many Sections needed for the Sweep.  Further, I have some personal
outside commitments such that moving up the start time and/or shortening
the contest would take away the little competitive ability I have.  BIC --
and a little skill and lots of experience -- would not be able to
compensate for loss of available op time.

But I'm a minority in that.  If the majority wants to change SS, then I'll
adapt my participation to maximize my fun.

You guys decide.  "Better" and "different" are neither contradictory nor
complementary.  We've survived lots of changes in SS in our lifetimes.
Anybody left out there from the days  of ten-word messages or of two-weekends
of each mode (or was that only ARRL DX Contests?)?  Do you remember the
year (or so) of 24-hours-straight?  Sending Date and Time?  The 1.25 power
multiplier?

Perhaps the changes would let me have all my SS fun -- less the
gratification of my small competitive accomplishments -- without wiping out
two weekends a year.  But I'm not quite old enough to want that yet.

73, Art K3KU
Tune for Maximum Fun




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On Tue, Mar 13, 2018 at 6:48 PM, Ken Widelitz <kwidelitz at gmail.com> wrote:

> The March/April 2018 NCJ has an article by Al, K0AD and Bill, W0OR
> suggesting changes to Sweepstakes.
>
>
>
> Al suggests moving the start time up 4 hours. This makes a lot of sense to
> me. More daylight hours so guys with a tribander will  make more contacts.
> Also, perhaps more importantly, East Coast SSers won't have to stay up late
> Sunday night suffering the doldrums and more will probably operate later on
> Sunday.
>
>
>
> Bill suggests shortening the contest to 18 hours. I like that idea but
> would
> suggest shortening it to 20 hours. Bill also suggests a forced off time in
> the middle which doesn't appeal to me personally. His last suggestion is to
> allow duplicate QSOs on 10 and 160 meters. I don't like that at all as it
> makes guys without good 160m antennas uncompetitive. As to 10 meters in
> down
> sunspot cycle years, it will only help where there is the occasional
> spotlight propagation and give an unfair advantage there.
>
>
>
> Moving up the start time and decreasing overall operating time should have
> a
> positive effect on this contest. Of course, getting the NCCC, PVRC and YCCC
> to have a yearly major focus on winning the overall gavel is what will help
> the most. A few years ago when they did that there were no doldrums Sunday.
>
>
>
> Let the flames begin, and apologies in advance to our international list
> members who don't give a hoot about SS.
>
>
>
> 73, Ken, K6LA / VY2TT
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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