[EIDXA] EIDXA Contesting Proposal

[Jeff Davis]

Hey everyone,

We had a really lively discussion of the possibility of a contest award
Friday night. The Contest Committee presented a proposal, asked for
feedback, and boy did we get it! It was a good discussion. I heard concerns
mainly in two areas: (1) Do we really want to place that kind of emphasis on
contesting (as opposed to DXing) in the club, and (2) Does the scoring
format do what we want it to do?

The real question seems to be, "What do we want?" So I'd like to spend a
moment speaking more to what I think we ought to want, and duck the question
(for the moment) of exactly how to get there.So I'm not going to propose a
specific rule set. Instead, here's what, in my opinion, would be the
attributes of a successful EIDXA award program. My hope is that if we can
reach some kind of consensus on what we want the award program to emphasize,
it will be easier to come together on a rule set (or at least easier to
swallow those areas we're not particularly happy with).

1. First, there would be more than one award. The EIDXA charter covers a
spectrum of interests, including contesting. But contesting isn't everyone's
bag. So excellence in DXing might call for a means of club recognition, too.
Perhaps another committee might like to take that one up. I could imagine an
annual award given to the club member who obtained the highest band-country
count that year of the "50 most wanted DXCC entities", for example. I don't
think it has to be "either (DXing) - or (contesting). I like both and would
like to see "both - and". But again, that's for another committee.

2. The award would be worth having. I'm not talking about how glittery the
plaque, trophy, or certificate is. I'm talking about an award I would be
proud to have because it represented a real accomplishment on my part. It
seems the things I really value in life are those I have to work hard for.
So I'd have to do more than just enter contests to be in the running. I'd
have to do well in my class of entry relative to either a local or
nationwide figure of merit, not just once, but on a fairly sustained basis.

3. That said, the award should reflect both excellence and effort, but not
necessarily kilowatts transmitted. I personally felt that was a major flaw
in our proposal last Friday night. To get more award points, one should have
to do more than just turn on the amp. The scoring format should ensure that
a station that did well nationally in QRP would get just as many EIDXA
points as a low power or kilowatt station that did equally well in one of
those categories.

4. One member mentioned that in another organization, there was a "Most
Improved" award. I like that, it's in the spirit of always striving to do
better than you did before.

73, and thanks for the feedback!
Jeff N0DY