[VHFcontesting] 2019 January VHF Contest Results on Line

[Chris Lumens]

> I suggest holding FT8 to one point on all bands below 902.  Let the
> points grow from 902 up to get more activity, even if it is FT8 up
> there.  Double the QSO points for PH and CW on all bands to make it
> worth the "risk" of not following the herd to 6m FT8 and parking there
> all contest long.  It will be harder to win without the upper bands,
> which would motivate more to add them and use them.

I think this makes the assumption that the FT8 op's primary motivation
is setting a high score, and I don't think we can make that assumption.
You might suggest it's silly to compete if you're not trying to win, but
I've done that plenty of times with the big CQ contests where I just use
them to fill out my DXCC grid.

I think it's likely a lot of these guys are motivated more by bumping
their VUCC totals, or trying something new, or just having some fun on
the radio.  And if that's the case, tweaking the scoring system isn't
going to have any effect on behavior, just on scores.

Of course, I have no evidence for my hunches and that's one of the most
frustrating things about this conversation.  I wish we could start
getting some real data.  It'd be nice if the contest submission form
could ask a couple survey questions like "Why don't you use as many
bands as your contest category allows?" and "What is your goal in this
contest?" with some multiple choice answers.

-- 
Chris Lumens - KG6CIH
Hike * MTB * XC Ski * Haskell
Research - Experimentation - Testing - More Testing