[PaQSO] CW, Points, & Stuff

[Jimk8mr@aol.com]

It is quite common for contests where both modes are used to have a 2:1 or 
3:2 point ratio for CW to phone qsos.  This is because a reasonably good SSB 
op can make SSB qsos about 50% to 100% faster than a reasonably good CW op 
can make CW qsos. 

If you really want to encourage CW operations, have multipliers count for 
both CW and SSB.  We do in Ohio. Last year (2001) in the Ohio QSO Party, a 
station sent a log in multiple pieces, with CW and SSB separately.  The CW 
log got lost in the shuffle.  When it was found, the score from 600 SSB qsos 
was doubled when the 120 CW qsos were included, by virtue of both 2:1 point 
ratio and about 50% more total multipliers. 

Of course PaQP is (I think) the only contest that has both a 1.5 and a 2.0 CW 
point ratio!  I think this may be not such a good idea, as one rap on the 
PaQP is that out state of guys view it as just a bunch of PA guys who only 
want to talk to each other.  Encouraging activity on two bands where that is 
largely what happens may not be what is needed to overcome that perception.   


Changing the 80/160 CW bonus would not necessarily mean discarding all 
previous records, as those scores could be recomputed under a new scoring 
system and those scores counted as the existing records.

-----------------------

Also, FWIW, I much prefer QSO numbers to a (meaningless) RST.  It is 
something that actually has to be copied, vs. just logging 5NN when you hear 
something down in the noise and QRM. A number from a mobile station also 
gives a good way to guess how much longer he might be in a county, or how 
soon until he hits a new one.


73  -  Jim  K8MR   (/3 in October)

To read about my mobile operation, and mobile contesting in general, see the 
March-April 2002 National Contest Journal, available online at:

http://www.ncjweb.com/marapr02ncj.php




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