[VHFcontesting] Goal-Based Contest Scoring

[Kenneth E. Harker]

On Fri, Aug 26, 2005 at 12:50:39PM -0400, Ed K1EP wrote:

> >* The number one, overriding goal of radio contests should be "competition."
> >  In the ideal world, the winner of the contest should be the best-designed
> >  station operated by the highest performing operator(s).  The goal of the 
> >  contest should be to support that result.  Once you start explicitly 
> >  making it important to achieve other goals, like "camaraderie" or 
> >  "activity," even if they are otherwise laudable in other circumstances, 
> >  the value of contesting as a _sport_ is diminished. 
> 
> People do not always share the same goals.  Many "contesters" participate 
> in CQ WW DX or ARRL DX CONTESTS to work DX.  They don't care about score.  
> But they know that the rare DX will only be on during the contest.  The 
> same goes for VHF QSO PARTIES or contests.  

You are correct that a lot of stations participate in contests for purposes of 
DXing, on both HF and VHF.  Some even submit logs.  But radio contests are,
and should be, like marathons or triathlons rather than some charity feel-good 
fun run.  We already have Field Day for that kind of thing.  That not every 
single entrant in a competition is there to win shouldn't be used as an excuse 
to diminish or harm the sporting aspects of the competition.  

-- 
Kenneth E. Harker WM5R
kenharker at kenharker.com
http://www.kenharker.com/