[CQ-Contest] : Re: NAQP CW - Rules Changes Needed

Tue Aug 10 10:08:25 EDT 2021

Oops, one error in my response: there's no longer an unassisted category in the WPX.  My reply was  based on the past when there were both unassisted and assisted.  Should have used some other contest as a current example.
And I'm always wires and low power, too.  Assisted is much easier for low power, simple antenna stations than unassisted since they often can't run effectively.  For a running station, assisted and unassisted are irrelevant.  Some stations run entire contests.  Consider the 2BSIQ guys.  I've looked at their logs.
The challenge for me is just working anybody since on CW and RTTY virtually all running stations are spotted.

73,Ken, AB1J

-----Original Message-----
From: AB1J via CQ-Contest <cq-contest at contesting.com>
To: ku8e at ku8e.com <ku8e at ku8e.com>; cq-contest at contesting.com <cq-contest at contesting.com>
Sent: Tue, Aug 10, 2021 12:37 pm
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] : Re: NAQP CW - Rules Changes Needed

You wrote:

Sorry but what does living in a HOA have to do with operating assisted ? It seems to me that that you would have a harder time working someone by clicking on spots as compared to tuning the band and just calling someone who is CQing.
\==========================================

A lot actually.  Small stations doing mostly S&P, HOA or not, get better results running assisted.  Almost everyone calling CQ gets spotted on CW and RTTY, so there aren't two categories of CQing stations, spotted or unspotted.  Only newly spotted stations have cluster pile ups.  Other CQing stations, spotted or not, experience normal answering patterns. A (very) few stations get missed somehow by the RBN.  The chances of an unassisted station finding lots of unspotted CQing stations is small.  

I can testify to that as I have lots of both unassisted and assisted operation experience from a miniscule station.

In contests where there is a choice (like the WPX), I sometimes operate unassisted just because that is a shrinking category and I might have a better chance for a certificate.  But in any given contest under similar conditions in successive years, my assisted score has always been higher than my unassisted one.  Sometimes dramatically so.

73,
Ken, AB1J

-----Original Message-----
From: ku8e <ku8e at ku8e.com>
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Sent: Mon, Aug 9, 2021 9:36 pm
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] : Re: NAQP CW - Rules Changes Needed

Sorry but what does living in a HOA have to do with operating assisted ? It seems to me that that you would have a harder time working someone by clicking on spots as compared to tuning the band and just calling someone who is CQing. Those spotted stations probably have other people calling them and if you were QRP or had a modest antenna you wouldn't probably make it thru the first time.I have no problem with those who want to operate assisted and do their thing. My personal opinion is operating that way is a dumbing down of operating skills. It's like catching fish from a barrel.JeffSent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
-------- Original message --------From: iainvest at gmail.com Date: 8/9/21  2:30 PM  (GMT-05:00) To: cq-contest at contesting.com Subject: [CQ-Contest] : Re:  NAQP CW - Rules Changes Needed If you want to increase the number of participants, then offering anassisted category makes a lot of sense.  I live in a HOA.  Antenna is hiddenin the trees.  Fortunately I live above the average terrain so I do betterthan most with a compromised antenna. The majority of my operating is searchand ponce.  Do I get answered on the first call? Often not. So you callagain.  Then go searching for the next call sign that is not a dupe.Operating in assisted mode just makes it a lot more fun and results inspending more time operating in the contest. 73, Larry K8LS _______________________________________________CQ-Contest mailing listCQ-Contest at contesting.comhttp://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
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