[CQ-Contest] QSO Party Rules

[Ron Notarius W3WN]

Well Jim, you have somehow reached the incorrect presumption that I "don't work" state QSO parties.  
Granted, I don't have the weekend operating time like I used to, with the new job and new responsibilities.  But I didn't realize that meant that I needed to let you personally know every time I operate to some degree in an event.
But personal wisecracks aside...
So your core complaint is that other state QSO parties have different rules that CQP.  So what?  Considering that in most of these cases, there is are two broad categories for entrants... in state and out of state... I don't see what the problem is.
I again repeat what I said earlier... boycotting a state or regional QSO party simply because it's a little harder to work some of the multipliers on the high bands is counter-productive.  It reduces the number of potential stations in the "pool" that are available to work, which in turn reduces the incentives for the in-state stations (fixed, portable, rover or mobile) to go to the high bands and work people.  
In the Salmon Run this last weekend, I knew going in that simply because of distance and propagation, I would only hear and work a relative fraction of the many stations on.  That didn't stop me from having fun working the ones I did, when time permitted operating.  I would like to think that at least some those stations knowing that I and others like me WERE searching for them, amongst the TXQP, Route 66 OTA, and other weekend operating events also QRV, gave them incentives to stay on the high bands as long they could.
If you truly believe that the rules of a given contest are not in your favor or are even stacked against you, then IMHO you should contact the sponsoring club, committee, or organization and bring your concerns to them.  If they feel your concerns are valid, they may be willing to consider a rule change, update, or clarification.
73


-----Original Message-----
From: Jim Brown <k9yc at audiosystemsgroup.com>
To: cq-contest at contesting.com
Sent: Tue, Sep 20, 2022 8:17 am
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] QSO Party Rules

On 9/19/2022 6:43 PM, Ron Notarius W3WN via CQ-Contest wrote:
> The primary concern originally raised was that the rules for selected State QSO Parties are written to unfairly influence mobiles to not operate enough if at all on the high bands.
> 
> One of the contests in the list of perpetrators was the Pa QSO Party.
> 
> I’m very curious as to exactly which “mobile influencing” rules in the event make it suspect.  Because I don’t see any.

I suspect that may be because you don't work state QSO parties.

Stated in my initial post -- the problem is that in-state stations get 
multipliers for in-state counties.

The way most of these parties work, mobiles get another mult for each 
state they work for each county from which they work them. If a mobile 
works me from 20 counties on 2 bands, we each get 40 mults; if he works 
KA6BIM (in OR) from 25 counties on 2 bands, they both get another 50 
mults. And so on.

An important part of contesting is station building and optimization. 
 From CA, I can work the best equipped mobiles on 80 in states like TX 
because both of us have worked hard on antennas. Ditto for 40 during the 
day.

And the goal is not "fairness," it is to improve the contest by making 
it more fun for out-of-state stations, thus giving in-state stations 
more stations to work. As Duffey said quite well, you alternate between 
bands that are open each time you hit a new county. W0BH did a masterful 
job of this in a GAQP several years ago, hitting a huge number of 
counties, a multi-op, I think, both CW and SSB. When 40 was productive, 
he'd hit 20 for 5-15 minutes, then head down to 40.

Good out of state ops keep checking the operating frequencies (and 
spots) of the various mobiles running between counties, and are ready to 
pounce when they hit a new county. That's the fun of these contests. Few 
mobiles, not a lot of fun.

In CQP, for example, 58 mults for in-state stations are States and 
Provinces, 58 mults for out-of state stations are CA counties, and 
everyone can work everyone. Not a lot of mobiles here -- the counties 
are far too large, so we work hard to have all counties covered by fixed 
or portable stations.

73, Jim K9YC


_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest