[PaQSO] Multi-location Bonus Station

[bob at reconstructinghistory.com]

Okay, now I've read the rants and the responses, it's time to weigh in.  

But first, a little background.  I'm relatively new to all this.  PAQP06 was my first QSO party participation since (maybe) 1996.  I'm new to the field, in other words.  So bear with me, and look at what I'm saying as dispassionate analysis from a newcomer.

The multiple bonus stations gave me no joy in 2006.  For one, my logging software kept flagging DUPE.  If I could find the Cab file, I'd see if it stripped all the dupes, but I can't; it sticks in my mind that it did.  For two, yeah, I added up all the bonus contacts and put them on the summary sheet, but that added a layer of needless complexity. 

So does physically mailing anything to the contest organizers, but that's another argument.  That just doesn't make any sense to me.  It's the only contest I've entered which has that requirement.  For the record, can someone tell me why?

Maybe I'm one of these cornsarned lazy Socialist whippersnappers, but when I export a Cab file, I want that to be my entry.  Period.  I don't want to massage it, I don't want to use a pencil to recompute my bonus points, I don't want to print a form and fill it out and mail it; I want to export a Cab file, maybe a summary file, email it/them to the sponsor, and move on with my life.

KISS works.  If you must have a bonus station, keep it simple: points awarded per QSO, one Q per callsign per band/mode.  In other words, one station = one callsign, just like everyone else.  Just instead of 1 or 2 points, you get the bonus.  That makes for a maximum of X points, since there are a finite number of band/mode combinations.  

For all my bellyachin', props to the organizers for taking all this hassle on themselves.  Me, I wouldn't want the agg.  But thank Gawd for sado-masochists like you, or else none of us could have any fun complaining about how goofy your rules are. =)

Cheers,

Bob AB3EI (formerly N3OYA)