[CQ-Contest] WPX Wonderings

Mon May 3 15:37:25 EDT 2021

"Everyone makes their own choice about how to operate the contest and 
whether to submit a log or not."

That's a pretty arrogant statement. You operate the way we want for you 
to be competitive and if you don't want to then don't send in your log. 
The fact is there's now only one SO category - SO Assisted. Take it or 
leave it. Sure you can operate SO without assistance but with the 
current rules you couldn't be competitive in that category unless you 
used assistance. I think the solution to the problem would be to expand 
the classic category from 24 to 36 hours. Allow unlimited band changes ( 
Like the current SO category) so you can still do SO2R if you want. 
Problem solved.... but if you think about it that's going back to the 
old rules. It's pretty clear that many of the top single operators want 
the old rules to come back based on the popularity of Unassisted 
Challenge N6MJ and friends put together for CQ WPX.

I also question the statement that the CQ contests - both CQWW and CQ 
WPX are really competitive around the whole world. Stations on the 
continental boundaries with EU and NA have a huge advantage to these 
high population areas. The winners from as far back as I remember are 
either in North Africa or the northern part of South America. (i.e the 
ABC islands)  The distance from north Africa to the center of Europe is 
probably the same as it is from my QTH to New England.  They get 6 
points per low band QSO and 3 points for the higher bands. I took a look 
at a log (public information) for a big gun northern Africa station from 
CQWW out of curiosity. It was basically a EU rate fest for them with a 
spattering of NA stations thrown in. What about the poor JA's? They have 
to work stations pretty far way on a far away continent to get more than 
one measly point on the higher bands and 2 points on the lower bands.  
So if I'm in CN8 and work an EA just across the Strait of Gibraltar 
(maybe 50 miles away or less?) I get 6 points on 160,80, 40 and 3 points 
on 20, 15 and 10 meters. In contrast if I'm in JA and work a 5B4 in 
Cyprus (5500 miles away and still is Asia) I get one point on 20/15/10 
and two points on 160/80/40. This makes no sense to me.

Jeff

On 5/3/2021 01:47 PM, Randy Thompson wrote:
> The change that really impacted WPX SSB/CW was when the limit for single ops went from 30 hours to 36 hours.  This greatly limited the competitive opportunities around the world.  Those extra 6 hours provided more advantages to the areas that had more hours to the population centers.
>
> Regardless of your feelings about the recent rule changes, in the recent WPX SSB the bands were full of activity and the log submissions were only down a bit from last year (which had better conditions and was in the midst of the Covid shutdowns).
>
> Everyone makes their own choice about how to operate the contest and whether to submit a log or not. And I guess, to complain as well.  😊
>
> Randy K5ZD
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: CQ-Contest <cq-contest-bounces+k5zd=outlook.com at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Jim Neiger
> Sent: Monday, May 3, 2021 4:40 AM
> To: cq-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] WPX Wonderings
>
> Amen.  I missed the page where it was written that these couple "contesters" had the authority to screw up a once great contest.
>
> Jim Neiger   N6TJ
>
>
> On 4/30/2021 6:22 PM, Hans Brakob wrote:
>> They’ve screwed up their magazine.  Now they’re working on their contests.
>>
>> Utterly tone-deaf.
>>
>>
>>
>> 73, de Hans, KØHB
>> “Just a Boy and his Radio”™
>> ________________________________
>> From: CQ-Contest <cq-contest-bounces+kzerohb=gmail.com at contesting.com>
>> on behalf of wa1fcnbeaudoin <wa1fcn at charter.net>
>> Sent: Friday, April 30, 2021 7:09:16 PM
>> To: cq-contest <cq-contest at contesting.com>
>> Subject: [CQ-Contest] WPX Wonderings
>>
>>
>> GE All
>>
>>            So now that there is no distinction between assisted and
>> unassisted
>>
>>            in CQ WPX CW this month.  If  enter Single Band 40 using
>> assistance is
>>
>>            the category called   Single Band 40 ? Then what happens to all
>> those Single Band 40
>>
>>            Assisted records.  Or how about those guys who got their old
>> Single Band 40 records
>>
>>            with NO assistance and now I am going to use assistance.
>>
>>            Do the records  just fade away like General MacArthur ?
>>
>>                        BoB WA1FCN
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> CQ-Contest mailing list
>> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
>> https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flists.
>> contesting.com%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fcq-contest&data=04%7C01%7C%7
>> Cd9aff5535cec450b6c3308d90e2b0882%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7
>> C1%7C0%7C637556400260804199%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMD
>> AiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=q3oD
>> n5uEuIsK74w6cFlZDJTR9gsiHllU%2BIlbP3RDr4s%3D&reserved=0
>> _______________________________________________
>> CQ-Contest mailing list
>> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
>> https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flists.
>> contesting.com%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fcq-contest&data=04%7C01%7C%7
>> Cd9aff5535cec450b6c3308d90e2b0882%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7
>> C1%7C0%7C637556400260804199%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMD
>> AiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=q3oD
>> n5uEuIsK74w6cFlZDJTR9gsiHllU%2BIlbP3RDr4s%3D&reserved=0
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Flists.contesting.com%2Fmailman%2Flistinfo%2Fcq-contest&data=04%7C01%7C%7Cd9aff5535cec450b6c3308d90e2b0882%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637556400260804199%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=q3oDn5uEuIsK74w6cFlZDJTR9gsiHllU%2BIlbP3RDr4s%3D&reserved=0
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest