[VHFcontesting] PACK ROVEing - How about a change in scoring method

John (JK) Kalenowsky, K9JK k9jk73 at msn.com
Sat Jul 30 22:47:32 EDT 2005


OR...look at possible scoring methodology changes.

First let me make it clear that I am NOT "slamming" or in any way trying to disparage what N6NB and crew have done...I, personally, am STILL impressed that anyone would put together three vehicles with 10 bands (not trivial) and drive from Southern California out to West Texas (and back afterwards) to be able to cover 22 Grids during a January contest.

I AM, however, using the score from their operation as an example (with help from the ARRL Scores Database information) to illustrate HOW the scores got so large for the way that they operated

One part of what amplified their scores is that the contacts on 2.3G and up are worth EIGHT QSO Points in January, so there is a further multiplying effect from the higher band equipment. Looking at January 2005's results, let's face it, approx. 2/3 of their QSO points came from just shy of 800 (approx. 40%) of their QSOs - on 2.3 through 10 GHz. The 902 and 1296 bands contributed another 1/6 of their QSO Points...heck, it's almost a wonder that they bothered with 50, 144, 222 and 432 (though they DID and it appears that is where they worked the predominant quantity of the quoted 3% of QSOs OUTSIDE the pack). ANOTHER possible change is to align QSO Point Values for the different bands for January with those for June and September.

BACKGROUND STATEMENT: Fixed stations can work Rovers ONE time per band for each grid the rover visits. Rovers (not *just* Packs) can work each other multiple times per band for each grid they visit AS WELL AS each grid the other rover visits. 

PROPOSED SCORING METHOD CHANGE: Change the scoring so the rover can only take QSO Point credit for ONE QSO from another Rover for each Grid in which that other rover is contacted...that's some "equality" with what fixed stations can get for working rovers. 

HOW TO DO IT: It shouldn't be any harder to figure out/calculate than it is to calculate Multipliers where the same Grid Square may be contacted multiple times but ONLY ONE CREDIT is given for that multiplier (per band). Just do a similar check for Rover/Grid Square combinations and only take QSO Point credit for ONE of the QSOs.

EXAMPLE OF IMPACT: This reduces the multipliying effect of Pack Roving. Looking at the scores from the three rover 'pack' in January 2005, they could only get QSO Point Credit for 22 Contacts from each of the other rovers in the pack, 44 total. "Guessing" that 190 was the number of contacts on each band made with the other pack members (since 191 is the lowest Band Q total listed but it's also possible that they just missed some of the combinations with each other), *that* alone creates a drop of 146 QSOs 'eligible' for QSO Points on each of the 10 bands...which adds up to a reduction of 6716 QSO Points (to approx. 1/4 of what the QSO Points were previously). The scores would STILL be on the order of 1/2 million apiece, still "Large" but not so far above all the others...perhaps more in line with an appropriate level of 'reward' (score) for visiting TWICE the number of Grids as their nearest rover competition.

POTENTIAL UNDESIRED IMPACTS: There might be some issues in where this would create an inequality for rover to rover, where a "stop 'n shoot" rover (sets up and stays at a spot for awhile) - let's call him W9SNS/R, happened to be in the same area as a "run 'n gun" rover (mostly moving through and around grid corners, stopping only briefly) - let's call him K9RNG/R. W9SNS/R would want to work K9RNG/R as he moved around a grid corner but K9RNG/R would not get further QSO Point credit as long as W9SNS/R was in the same grid. If the bands were not 'active', I'd hope that K9RNG/R would make those QSOs in the spirit of "operating practices that allow as many stations as possible to contact them (rovers)" and, hopefully, W9SNS/R would eventually move and set up again and make a contact with K9RNG/R, potentially from a grid where K9RNG/R had been previously...K9RNG/R WOULD get QSO point credit and maybe a new multiplier but, in this case, W9SNS/R would NOT get any further QSO point credit (unless K9RNG/R was running so fast that he was in a new Grid).

There are probably other undesired impacts that I have not recognized.

Open for discussion or comments to 'just me' (I *hope* I am not going to need my asbestos suit ; - ).

Thanks for reading...73, JK


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