[CQ-Contest] QST Contest Results ideas

[Drew Vonada-Smith]

All,

As usual, I think Frank (LPL) gets it right.  The opportunity here is not so much to satisfy our egos with a nice long article that we are smart enough to find online, but to use the pages to encourage vibrant new activity.  (As in youth and new hams.)

I tried to set this direction in my last results article by opening with a light piece about excuses not to operate, showing how people easily overcame such things.  The section was cut due to space as I noted, but QST was kind enough to reprint it solo in Nov 2018 QST as "The Top 10 Reasons Not to Operate in That Contest."  I know, it is only a fluff piece, but I was trying to set a new voice.  I'd still love to do that if the opportunity arises.  Not to just take on a one page results article again, but to actually say something.  Perhaps I waited too long to try.

One criticism is that there are just too many contests competing for pages.  I don't personally agree, but I can see the point.  One suggestion might be to combine CW and SSB results, like a single DX and a single SS article as was the practice years ago.  I think that a reasonable compromise since most editorial content will apply to both.  Certainly better than just having no content; I'd sign on for that approach.

Thoughts?

73,
Drew K3PA

From: Drew Vonada-Smith
Sent: Monday, August 26, 2019 12:46
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Subject: Re: QST Contest Results


Ed,



I share your sadness on this.  I wrote the ARRL DX results for a few years and generally managed about a 3 to 4 page article for the print version.  A more in depth version that I wrote was placed online with a link provided.  The explanation I always received was that "polling shows that contest results are one of the least popular items in the magazine".  This was NOT from the contest editor, Ward SIlver, a great guy...just from the CT powers that be.



On the last year I did the article, it was cut at the last minute from the one page of text I provided along with the tables, down to about half a page.  With the usual link to an online version.  This was said to be due to some last minute advertiser pullout.  But that was the last stroke for me - if it was only worth a page in QST, why was I putting all the effort in?  I dropped the job that year.



As I see it, contests are very popular events, among the highest in radio, and the current thinking dumbs down the magazine to the lowest common denominator of guys that don't operate...not the true ham hobbyists.  I always get strong denials on this, but just read the magazine.  A new dipole to build?  Operating mobile on your floating inner tube?  A highlight piece on some guy with a high profile job who isn't really on the air?  You all get my point.  *Yawn*



But, I don't see any of this as likely to change.  The focus is on numbers, not quality.



73,
Drew K3PA

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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2019 18:57:14 -0400
From: Edward Sawyer <EdwardS at sbelectronics.com<mailto:EdwardS at sbelectronics.com>>
To: "cq-contest at contesting.com<mailto:cq-contest at contesting.com>" <cq-contest at contesting.com<mailto:cq-contest at contesting.com>>
Subject: [CQ-Contest] ARRL DX CW Contest in QST
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        <0D39B6681B67B44DAEC5D6AD99294A8E04CF403F59FA at SBEMAIL.sbelectronics.com<mailto:0D39B6681B67B44DAEC5D6AD99294A8E04CF403F59FA at SBEMAIL.sbelectronics.com>>

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I am not sure if anyone else was struck like I was as to how sad it was that QST was down to 2 pages for the ARRL DX CW coverage in the August magazine.  No write-up, just some top 10 totals boxes and plaque winners.

I never understood why QST dumps virtually all of its adds in the back.  It's an advertiser's nightmare.  Why not allow a couple of advertisers to sponsor a 6 page spread per contest on the 2 ARRL DX contests and get their ads conspicuously displayed?  I am thinking they would be interested.

Ed  N1UR

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