Speak Out: Contest Rules and Definitions
Every year, after any given contest, questions abound about various rules, procedures and terminologies. Do you feel the various contest sponsors need to be more specific in their rules, to reduce the amount of apparent confusion and potential abuse? Or will more rules just create more problems?
10 opinions on this subject.
Enter your opinion at the bottom of this page.
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OK2BRQ on 2008-03-02
LU1DZ on 2007-04-09
Hello dear friends:
All of you seems to be very interesting in contest rules.
Would you please visit GACW web site and check the WWSA rules.
http://gacw.no-ip.org
I will be very glad to receive your remarks on it.
Muchos saludos
Best regards
Alberto U. Silva LU1DZ
WWSA Contest Manager
http://www.geocities.com/lu1dz
http://gacw.no-ip.org
http://ar.groups.yahoo.com/group/wwsatest/
http://wwsa.cabanova.ro/
http://www.geocities.com/eetecar
http://ar.groups.yahoo.com/group/uranito/
K4WW on 2007-02-23
Keeping the rules, simple and straightforward, is great! By being simple and straightforward, it allows the sponsors to keep their enforcement, of the published rules, simple and stratightforward.
VE6CNU on 2007-01-22
Contest rules need to be updated periodically to keep up with improvements in technology. Typically, some new gadget comes out (hardware or software), some people exploit it, and then the rules or categories are modified to better level the playing field. In most of the mainstream contests, the rules seem pretty clear. Still, the playing field is far from level in most contests, as propagation, arguably the single-most important success factor, varies tremendously around the globe. But coming up with contest rules to help equalize the propagation factor may be more difficult and complex than they're worth. Besides, those "super stations" who have spent the big bucks to locate where they are, and who have great influence over the contest rules, would see little reason to change the status quo. The bottom line is that apart from some minor clarification here and there, things will remain pretty much the same.
Wo4o on 2007-01-15
Before the 2007 ARRL RTTY Roundup I was under the impression that there is no Club Competition in the event. Then, after the event, another contester claimed there is Club Competition. However, there is no reference to Club Competition in the Rules at the ARRL web link. Later, though, I discovered a list of Club scores for the previous event at a different link. Yet, this does not prove there is an official Club Competition category. Club (or Team) Competition encourages more on-air activity and results in more fun for all. Actually, every event should allow Club (or Team) Competition and the information should be clearly indicated in the Rules.
WN3VAW on 2006-12-22
For once, I have to agree with K0HB.
Keep the rules short, simple, straight forward, and to the point.
If possible, add a description of the intent of a particular rule where needed. This avoids the hair-splitting that some seem to thrive on.
The tighter, more restrictive, the rules are, the less fun they are, and (ironically) the more likely a loop-hole or exception can be found!
73, ron w3wn
kr2q on 2006-11-28
Three (3) replies in 11 days. Hear the big sucking sound of "who cares?"
95% of the comments on "rules" come from a handful of hams. Much ado about nothing.
N4SL on 2006-11-22
Computers have sucked all the personal challenge and fun out of contesting.
We USED to send with bugs, log with paper and maintaining and checking a paper dupe sheet was a hard-earned skill that made men from boys. Logs were done in earnest and accepted as fact from gentlemen.
Now, we send everything with a pushbutton, the computer does all the checking/duping and it's a pitcher's duel of QRO+ amps and antenna farms that cost more than their houses. Logs are computer cross-checked, the slightest mistake means your QSO doesn't count. If the other guy accidentally erases your entry from his computer log in the heat of battle, you lose extra points for 'lying'.
I still contest and yes, I use a computer because you cannot hand-dupe with all the crazy callsign prefixes these days and you cannot be competitive without one, but the fun has been sucked away and will only lead to a separation of classes: Super Contest Stations who win every single year and the regular ham who does something else that weekend because QST doesn't even print their scores anymore.
All is lost.
K8DO on 2006-11-20
It depends upon the meaning of "is", as an ex-president noted...
It is not possible to write rules in such a way that they cannot be gamed...
Example:
Rule: Power output is limited to 1500 watts ...
Crib: my amps run 1500 watts out each - so all five of them meet the rule...
rewritten Rule: Power output to the antenna is limited to 1500 watts...
Crib: Each one of my five antennas in the array is limited to 1500 watts, so I meet the rule...
And so on... Make the the rules as simple as humanly possible, as K0HB suggests... Those of us who contest for fun will follow the intent of the rules - the others will continue to define "is", nothing you can do about it...
denny - k8do
K0HB on 2006-11-17
Keep the rules simple and straightforward to accomplish the goals of the sponsor.
Then "turn 'em loose and let 'em play".
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