[CQ-Contest] Here's an idea...

[Gerry Hull]

It certainly would, Mats...  It would be interesting to see how far rates
would fall.

73,

Gerry W1VE

On Wed, Mar 21, 2018 at 10:57 AM, Mats Strandberg <sm6lrr at gmail.com> wrote:

> The real thrill (or challenge), would be If a contest consisted of a
> combination of five randomly created letters and numbers, and if those
> numbers were changed in every QSO. The various Contest softwares should be
> equipped with that random generator. That would be truly a differentiator!
>
> 73 de RM2D Mats
>
> On Wed, 21 Mar 2018 at 16:32, Gerry Hull <gerry at yccc.org> wrote:
>
>> Guys,
>>
>> In the end, it's about having fun, is it not?  This is a hobby.
>>
>> What skills are we testing in a competition?
>>
>> CW copying ability is simply one aspect.  In contests like CQWW CW, I
>> would
>> argue that CW copying ability, among the serious competitors, is not one
>> of the major factors because all signals are 599 and the Zone is entered
>> automatically by the logging software.    If you are a serious competitor,
>> you've been copying
>> CW for a long time.   Call signs are not an issue.
>>
>> In a contest like NAQP, or any contest where there is a "friend" file, you
>> are trying to get a best rate and multipliers.   Getting an odd name from
>> somebody surprises you,
>> and may mess up your fun.  So -- everyone tends to use their common name.
>>  Using an uncommon name may satisfy your need to "test" other operators,
>> but it won't help your score.  If you are having fun, so be it.   If you
>> have an uncommon name and are itching to win, you have to bear that
>> burden.  Be ACTIVE.    We often honor people when they become an SK by
>> sending their name.   This may or may not impact the score.  However, it
>> is
>> a social part of our contesting community.   Sometimes the score is not
>> the
>> most important factor.
>>
>> If we had a contest (and I believe there are already some) where we
>> exchanged 5 letter groups of random characters, the CW copying ability
>> would REALLY be tested.
>> Would such a contest be popular?
>>
>> I agree that the KCDX CW copying event is a rush!  Lots of fun, pure CW
>> copying ability.  Looking forward to it this year.
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Gerry W1VE, VE1RM, VY1AAA
>>
>> On Tue, Mar 20, 2018 at 9:02 PM, Yuri VE3XB <ve3xb at rogers.com> wrote:
>>
>> > Bob,
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Thanks for the response and sharing your opinion. Very interesting
>> concept
>> > indeed.
>> >
>> > For the sake of argument I will agree that I was wrong and you, having
>> so
>> > many QSOs during your contesting career, are entitled to start judging
>> the
>> > skills and abilities of the other people. And this is not arrogance,
>> not at
>> > all.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Also, I'm on your side regarding actual copying of the exchange during a
>> > contest and not just hitting the "Enter" key.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > But let's go back to the original post where all that started. During
>> NAQP
>> > in order to make a valid contact we need to copy call-sign, name and
>> QTH,
>> > right? So let's assume that I copied from you: KQ2M, EEMIO and CT.
>> Before
>> > logging this QSO, I check what is typed in and I can see your call, your
>> > state BUT, being CANADIAN who came from EASTERN EUROPE, I don't
>> recognize
>> > any name. So what do I do - I ask for the repeat and therefore failing
>> your
>> > "test". Failing not because I miscopied the information you've sent, but
>> > because I've never been to Haiti! Kool, isn't it?
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Due to aging HAM radio population we getting more and more experienced
>> > operators who tend to become "On The Air" policemen and judges checking
>> on
>> > others. Some, for example, can put kilowatt carrier on DX frequency and
>> > they
>> > don't mean harm to us, just "testing" our ability to copy weak signals
>> from
>> > under the jamming interference. The others crank output power down to
>> > milliwatts to check your receiving abilities. All of them don't care
>> about
>> > scores - they just having good time.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Back to the Subject.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Bob, to test our and your own copying skills why don't you come to Crown
>> > Plaza on May 19th after the Contest Dinner for annual Kansas City DX
>> Club
>> > Pile-Up competition? There is going to be crowd of great people who came
>> > from all over the world, many friends, lots of fun, camaraderie and
>> booze.
>> > Everyone is equal - doesn't matter how much $$$ invested in aluminum,
>> > equipment and location, whether you are from right or wrong coast - 5
>> > minutes of adrenalin rush and your results are there. You used to attend
>> > this contest but for some reason stopped coming in 1999. After ten
>> years it
>> > could be one of your greatest comebacks. Hope to see you there.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Cheers and 73,
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Yuri VE3XB
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > From: Bob Shohet, KQ2M [mailto:kq2m at kq2m.com]
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Yuri, it amazes me that some people make comments before thinking about
>> > what
>> > they actually write and those same people often make assumptions about
>> what
>> > they are writing before having any information.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > By definition, contests are about testing your skills and the skills of
>> > others.  What makes a contest valid is the test of actually COPYING
>> > information correctly not just relying on the computer to fill it in for
>> > you
>> > when you press "enter".
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > And because I send with my keyer and not my keyboard, whatever I send, I
>> > have to send myself correctly at whatever speed I am sending it.  You
>> can
>> > be
>> > sure that tests my skill plenty - and after 900,000+ CONTEST qso's,
>> about
>> > 600,000 of which were made on cw, the last time that I checked, I was
>> still
>> > doing pretty well in the skill category.   So NO, it is not like "QRP
>> > ops..... "yada, yada, yada".  I am actually sending exchanges, NOT my
>> > computer and .
>> >
>> > you might do well to ask next time before you assume.  There are few
>> people
>> > alive who have made as many CW qso's as I have and probably no one has
>> ever
>> > made as many cw qso's as me by sending with their keyer rather than
>> their
>> > keyboard/computer.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I am sure that the Haitian man named Eemio that I knew would take issue
>> > with
>> > your characterization of "this kind of joke".  There are MANY names
>> which
>> > are unfamiliar to most Americans/Canadians/Eastern Europeans, etc., I
>> > certainly don't think that choosing to use an actual name is a joke -
>> > either
>> > to send or receive.  Waste of "valuable" time?  Hardly!  If you know
>> what
>> > the exchange is before it is even sent then what is actually being
>> tested?
>> > Certainly not COPYING skill; the only thing being "tested" is having
>> enough
>> > coordination to use the keyboard/computer to log for you.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I would never begrudge anyone sending me an unusual name or a name that
>> I
>> > didn't expect, any more than I would begrudge an operator from using
>> qrp or
>> > qrpp.  Actually, many lower power guys call me because they know that I
>> > will
>> > listen for them and take the time and make the effort to dig them out -
>> > many
>> > stations won't do that.  I certainly don't complain about it or make the
>> > statement that you did:
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > "if you weren't expecting this kind of joke during contest rush. It just
>> > waste of valuable time, nothing more".
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > You might want to reconsider that  - it sounds pretty arrogant.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I thinks it's nice that low power guys or people with unusual callsigns
>> > would call me even though the burden falls on me (and others) to get
>> their
>> > callsign and information correctly through the contest levels of qrm,
>> qrn,
>> > and qsb.  I appreciate that they are in the contest and raising the
>> level
>> > of
>> > activity for all participants.  And copying 599TT1 or 59950MW is a lot
>> more
>> > interesting than 599KW.  Same with working TG0FRACAP or any of hundreds
>> of
>> > unusual and never before heard callsigns that we are not expecting.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I get that some people don't like to be "challenged" by something
>> unusual.
>> > Yeah, it isn't easy and slows down the rate.  And some people don't
>> have a
>> > sense of humor about some things, and aren't very tolerant or forgiving.
>> > But really, this is only a contest.  It isn't about truly important
>> stuff
>> > like a person's health or safety or family.   Life's too short to argue
>> > about contest exchanges.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > 73
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Bob KQ2M
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > From:  <mailto:ve3xb at rogers.com> Yuri VE3XB
>> >
>> > Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2018 11:07 PM
>> >
>> > To:  <mailto:cq-contest at contesting.com> cq-contest at contesting.com
>> >
>> > Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Here's an idea...
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Always amazes me.
>> >
>> > Some smart guy comes up with "brilliant" idea and he starts testing
>> > everyone
>> > else skills but not his own... It's like QRP ops keep complaining about
>> > big
>> > gun stations that couldn't copy their tiny signals but never call weak
>> > stations themselves.
>> >
>> > As a member of QRQ club I can copy CW at 40 wpm and higher speeds but I
>> > would definitely make sure that I copied EEMIO right and will ask for
>> the
>> > repeat. Nothing wrong with that, especially if you weren't expecting
>> this
>> > kind of joke during contest rush. It just waste of valuable time,
>> nothing
>> > more. On the other hand if I had nothing better to do I would come back
>> > with
>> > some fancy name (like Enine, my old friend's name, for example) and see
>> how
>> > well the joker will copy it. Not sure he will.
>> >
>> > I guess that most people care about how to get contest exchange copying
>> > easier for their party, but looks like some think otherwise, having fun
>> at
>> > someone else expense...
>> >
>> >
>> > 73 Yuri VE3XB
>> >
>> > -----Original Message-----
>> > From: CQ-Contest [ <mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com>
>> > mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Bob Shohet, KQ2M
>> >
>> > A lot time ago in the CW Sprint, I used EEMIO (sent at 40+ wpm of course
>> > :-) and Scandalla amongst other names.  EEMIO was pretty funny - almost
>> > impossible to copy correctly at that speed - it was a true test of
>> operator
>> > skill and honesty.  Skill to get it right the first time and honesty to
>> ask
>> > again for it when they weren't sure that they got it right.  As you
>> would
>> > expect, the best ops got it right on the first or second try, most of
>> the
>> > rest either needing MANY repeats (clearly expecting Bob) or just faking
>> it
>> > and sending "r'" or "tu".  I used other unusual names as well to "test"
>> the
>> > ops.  I was more interested in having fun with that than achieving a
>> good
>> > score.
>> >
>> > Once in the mid-80's, on the way back home after a YCCC meeting in
>> Mass., I
>> > operated for an hour at Hal, W1NN's station in CT, and worked K8CC on
>> two
>> > bands with two different names.  When I got back to eastern Long Island
>> in
>> > NY (where I was living at the time), I then worked K8CC again on a 3rd
>> band
>> > using a different name from another state.  So I worked Dave a total of
>> > three times - from two different states on three bands and with three
>> > different names (one name per band).
>> >
>> > Dave being the FB op that he is, correctly copied each name change and
>> > state
>> > change.  I'm pretty sure that Dave still remembers that contest.   :-)
>> >
>> > 73
>> >
>> > Bob KQ2M
>> >
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>> >
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