[SCCC] A tale of 2 contests - NAQP CW vs RTTY RU on 10 meters

[Tim Goeppinger]

This year's rare collision between NAQP CW and ARRL RTTY Roundup proved to be an interesting study in human behavior.  Specifically,
it demonstrated  how contest rules drive that behavior.

My observation was that during the nice 10 meter opening at the beginning of the contests, the NAQP CW ops nicely filled the
CW part of the 10 meter band, and were having a blast.   Conversely, the number RTTY stations for the Roundup on 10m were sparse, and
contesters trying to 'run' were not doing much business.

The reason for this is multipliers.  The Roundup has a single set of multipliers, regardless of band, like Sweepstakes.  NAQP has multipliers
per band, like the CQWW DX contests.

NAQP operators are rewarded for being adventurous, for trying to open up another band.   Roundup ops are rewarded for staying on 20 meters,
and have to slog it out in the unnecessarily crowded conditions.  Rate is king for Roundup.

It is too bad that now that we are getting enough sunspots to have some fun propagation in RTTY Roundup, that the multiplier rules are becoming the biggest 
obstacle to having fun on 10.   Kudos to whoever created the NAQP rules.  Those are great contests, and I like that they happen 6 times a year.

73,

Tim K6GEP