[SEDXC] Contest Scoring

[Tommy]

Jeff,

 

When I first read your post, my first impression was that you were trying to
stir up controversy rather than get an unanswerable question discussed; I'm
not sure now that I was entirely incorrect with that impression. I hope you
realize that you're going to get responses like the one that equated PRB-1
to CW. Post such as yours are most often asked on eHam, where you are
assured you will get many answers similar to that 'PRB-1' response; the
flames will abound.

 

My name is Tom Alderman/W4BQF. I'm 69 years old and have been a ham for 58
years. I got into the ham radio hobby because of just that, it is a hobby.
Plus I was too small physically to participate in high school sports and ham
radio helped fill my need to do something else besides just go to school
(plus it helped keep my grades DOWN!). I try and/or have tried all of the
communication modes available in the hobby (except SSTV) and by choice, have
grown to really enjoy CW more than any other mode. That is by choice,
because to me it is a heck of a lot of fun; it is also a heck of a lot of
fun to converse in CW and QRQ, i.e., in excess of 70 wpm, by ear. I also
enjoy contesting, by choice and by being egged on by a little
competitiveness!

 

Your photo on QRZ insinuates you are connected somehow with football? I have
a similarly unimportant question for you. Why, in football, does an extra
point count for 2 points rather than just one? Why is a field goal given 3
points when an extra point is given 2 points? The answer is probably just
because someone or some group just decided it was going to be that way. Plus
it takes a little extra personal effort and learned skill to kick a field
goal or an extra point, the same as it takes a little extra effort and
learned skill to learn CW to the point where you can effectively use in
contesting.

 

There may be no rational reason for the scoring difference between CW and
other modes, other than at some point someone or some group just decided it
was going to be that way. And that is the way it is! Have you ever
participated in the management of a contest? Maybe you could get your answer
by participating in that?

 

I don't believe that anyone should look at CW as an 'art' or trying to keep
it because it is our 'heritage', it is simply another mode of communications
available to us in this hobby. What is the difference between, as you say,
'memorizing the characters of morse code' and memorizing enough test
questions to pass? Not much I'm afraid. BUT as hams stay in the hobby, most
of us DO begin to develop technical knowledge; most of us who do decide that
CW is more enjoyable than the other available modes, DO begin to develop the
ability to use it quicker and/or more efficiently and enjoy it more.

 

Probably the only reason in contest, CW is scored 2 points verses other
modes only one point, is simply because 'that's the way it is'; exactly the
same way that in football, there is 3 points for field goals, 2 points for
extra points, and 6 points for a touchdown, and 'that's the way it is'.

 

You said in one of your latter post that you thanked everyone who responded
to you and you gained some information/knowledge from those responses to
you. So why do you select one particular response to respond to publically
and defend yourself? If you don't like the point differential, that's too
bad. In my opinion, contest are to enjoy and nit-picking them is left for
someone who really doesn't have very much else to do.

 

Tom - W4BQF