Contesting Online Survey

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Do you plan to enter the CQ WW DX Contest?
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Recently the RDXC committee reclassified P3F to high power from low power without publicly providing strong evidence that any infraction had occurred. They concluded was that the contestant was running HP on 80/40m but not full-time, just 10 minutes here and there without any convincing evidence. It appears they used the RBN as their source of information. Should the RXDC contest have to publicly provide convincing evidence before reclassifying a station from LP to HP?
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Should CQ magazine make the results of the CQ WW DX contest available on their web site?
Posted: Dec 01, 2003 (1345 votes, 24 comments) by VE5ZX

Survey Results

Yes 90% (1205)

No 3% (47)

Don't care 7% (93)

Survey Comments

CQWW Results

Yes....they should be posted sometime after the magazine comes out. What I would also like to see is more detail like what used to appear in CQ Contest magazine....low power top ten breakdowns, additional sidebar articles, etc. Just pulling the soapbox and operator listing out of the magazine and putting them on the website hardly passes as expanded coverage in my book. 73, Mike K9NW
Posted by K9NW on December 31, 2003

Results and Certificates

I see no reason to stop development to having only contest results on the web. One could easily have also the certificates on the web so that everyone could print these themselves. Cost savings to CQ and faster certificate delivery to participants.
Posted by OH3BU on December 29, 2003

Clarification - N1UR

Just to clarify, I have been a subscriber to CQ for 20 years and have no disagreement with the need to cover costs to sponsor the contest. But I think CQ has an ethical obligation to send out certificates if it states that it will do so in the rules within a reasonable amount of time. I think that before the next running of the contest is a reasonable amount of time. Before they ADD to their offerings, they should MAKE GOOD on what they have already offered.

It is fasinating to note, that in this survey everyone is saying that CQ should be able to protect its revenue stream from contesters (agree, they should) and ARRL is stating that contesters aren't enough of the revenue stream and pages of results need to be dropped. I don't get it guys, which is it?

Ed N1UR
Posted by N1UR on December 19, 2003

CQ Website says they are available

http://www.cq-amateur-radio.com/cqwwssb02.html

states:

"(All scores will be posted
when they are available)"

Maybe I should send them a copy of the magazine! ;-)

Posted by W4ZV on December 19, 2003

CQWW results on the Web

To solve the problem could anybody, who has the CQ Magazine, offer his giant help and simply scan the score few pages than make it public? Of course a few month after their issue.
Posted by DH7KU on December 18, 2003

CQ is not a charity

First, the certificate issue and posting on-line aren't really related. Of course CQ needs to improve its certificate process. But
I think for anyone who can afford to mount an effort, with all the expense of even a minimal station, the cost of a single copy to see the results are not out of line. It is not free or cheap to post results on-line, just ask anyone who pays throughput fees to their ISP. It is also not free or cheap to run these contests, and the whole process must be paid for in some way. If you can suggest an economic model that would make this work, by all means. If not, then you're not providing constructive criticism. ve4xt
Posted by VE4XT on December 18, 2003

Think what you want...CQ runs the absolute best contests there are and has the most interesting soapboxes (on their web site no less).

Look at the expedition activity, much less the activity from home stations, in the 2003 CQWW. This is truly the Olympics of ham radio! And...everyone starts on time!

An important element of what keeps the CQWW contests going is the health and well being of CQ magazine. That entails having subscribers in order to make a profit. I will gladly subscribe to a magazine (namely CQ) run by an organization that provides me with such pleasure (their WW and WPX contests) four weekends a year. Anyone think the contest are run and tabulated without cost?

More power to them if they decide to electronically publish the results a few months later.

I also choose to endorse the fine effort CQ Magazine is doing by co-sponsoring a trophy for these contests.

K8GL
Posted by K8GL on December 17, 2003

CQ 160

As a past entrant in cq 160, operating G5XV/P our club NADARS, won the multi op section with 1200 plus qso's. That was over 2 years ago, no mention in dispatches or a certificate for our efforts. Hence, We will not be entering cq contests again unless it changes the way. CQ should take a leaf out of ARRL operations at least we get recognised for our efforts!!!
Posted by G0ORH on December 16, 2003

CQWW results

People putting so much effort into CQWW contests and the best they can get is this survey... it would be a good joke if it isnt more then sad truth!

73 to all from a contester that worked dozens of CQWWs and never got ANY result..
Posted by 9a6xx on December 12, 2003

Delayed results

One could imagine many ways of accomplishing something like this...

1) Post the results ASAP for CQ subscribers (and maybe ALL those who submitted a log) - fully searchable database like ARRL. So slick that is...

2) Post a less functional results listing and/or allow delayed access (like '2Q suggested: say after 2 months) to the full version for everyone else.

Mike N2MG
Posted by N2MG on December 10, 2003

cqww results on the web

Yes they should, and I agree with KX2S & N1UR that CQ should make sure that certificate winners get their certificates. Back in 1989 or 1990 I won my division and dispite letters to CQ, never did see my certificate. I'm only a little pistol, and I enjoy any bragging rights I earn.
I do not buy CQ just for contest results. I buy it when there is something in the magazine I want to read. I purchase probably about 6+ copies a year.
Graham VE7ABC/VA7TT ex VE7AVU
Posted by VE7ABC on December 7, 2003

Previous survey question

Len, you proposed an interesting idea. You might find some additional ideas in the comments to a previous survey question ( see http://www.contesting.com/survey/93 ) --- Syl VE5ZX
Posted by VE5ZX on December 5, 2003

Simple Solution

I think the answer for all contesting is to establish a parallel contesting awards organization with dues that mirrors the established larger contests from ARRL and CQ. This organization would charge a nominal fee, and offer it's own series of awards for all contests. The results would be online as submitted in realtime.

The awards could be comensurate with the level of activity and participation.

This way a winner might get an ARRL award and/or an award from the new ogranization. If someone failed to file with the new organization, the award would go to the person who did submit.

The contesting community involves only a few thousand who actually submit logs, but since we're talking about using computers and making contesting easier and more popular, here's another idea:

Use distribution analysis to introduce a series of awards almost everyone has a shot at actually winning.

For example, the large winners are always going to be the big guns, however if one were to develop several categories from the distribution and scores submitted and then make awards within those categories there could be multiple "first place" winners.

Here's a simple appraoch strictly for example. Take all of the scores in a category (high/low/single/multi etc) and make a distribution graph. Then scale the graph so that all of the submissions are equally distributed into four regions. The regions might be given a name:

Mercury
Gemini
Apollo
Zeus

Now 1/4 of the submissions would appear in each category due to the scaling and it would depend on what logs were actually submitted.

All of the top guns would wind up in the Apollo category, and all of the real casual guys would appear in Mercury.

Awards would be issued something like this:

First Place: CQWW SSB
Mercury Group

Second Place: CQWW SSB
Mercury Group

etc..

The beauty of the scheme is that there are absolute winners (in the Apollo Group), but there are other categories based on participation and distribution that anyone COULD win. This, I think is much better than just having various operational categories because it introduces an element of chance. A "casual" participant who might never have a shot at winning because he doesn't have the skill, antennas, or rig might actually place in a lessor division dependending on how many entrants submitted.

This would dramatically increase log submission by smaller participants, encourage more computerization among constesters, and get a lot more newbies into the game because they would actually have several shots at an award.

If there's enough interest, I may develop such as system, website, and program.

73,
Len
WT6G
Posted by wt6g on December 5, 2003

certificates

This is a major problem with CQ. It took over two years and many many emails to get a contest certificate out of CQ. One thing I must say about the ARRL, when you earn a contest certificate it is sent in a timely manner. As for posting results yes it would be nice to read it off the web.
73 Ed KX2S
Posted by KX2S on December 4, 2003

how to make it work

Yeah...results should be on the web.

I think CQ magazine (and others) can take a clue from other on-line services/theft rings. Make it cheap enough that folks will gladly pay. How about $1.00? Are hams so cheap that they would "download and forward" it to their buds? Maybe. If you ask them to pay the same as the subscription, then they will "steal" it.

Hey look, you don't think there are copy machines, faxes, and scanners doing this already using the printed format? Get real. For one buck, anyone can "be legal" and get it. If they feel compelled to steal something that you can legally buy for a buck...well, HOW EMBARRASSING!

Okay...how about a 2 month delay so the printed format subscribers can get first crack? I'd be happy with that.

Hey CQ...remember....customer service!!!! YOu could even include a "free" article right out of the mag. YOu might even get more subscribers to the paper format with that tickler. You have NOTHING to lose. If you think your sub rate dropped, you can always stop the on-line results the next year. de Doug KR2Q
Posted by kr2q on December 3, 2003

CQWW Results on the Web

Certificates....you hit the nail on the head, Ed (N1UR).
If the records and such can be accessed on the web...so should the results. I do not think people should have to "pay" to see the results. How hard can it be to take the data as formatted for the magazine and just upload it to the cqww contest website and have it appear just as it does in the magazine? Only a small percentage of the subscribers have an interest in contest results. Or why don't you just quit printing the results in the magazine and put them on the web? Replace the results section in the magazine with special articles such as "how to use your fishing pole as an antenna mast". The contest community is what makes your contest a success. Give something back to those who help make is so.
Posted by NX5M on December 3, 2003

CQWW Resul;ts in Cq

I feel the same as N5OT. Other then the contest results and the contest section, the magazine is not really worth anything.

John N5ER
Posted by N5ER on December 2, 2003

I don't subscribe to CQ, but I'd pay a reasonable annual fee to access the data for the current reporting year plus all the archives.
Posted by N5OT on December 2, 2003

CQWW results-web

Well it sure would be nice if they would. However CQ magazine is in business to make money and providing only printed results is one way the publisher can insure that people will continue to buy the magazine. I buy CQ only for contest results, I'll bet many others do, too.
Posted by k3yd on December 2, 2003

It is sad they want electronic logs from us but are not willing to provide us with electronic results as well.
Posted by ok1dsz on December 2, 2003

Of course they should. In 2002, I organized a couple of teams, just for fun. I have no idea how anyone did. I get enough magazines now, I don't want any more. Delay it a month or 2, then publish it on the web. I did not bother with any teams in 2003, after I learned what the policy was. I spent quite a while searching for the results!

N7OR
Posted by N7OR on December 1, 2003

CQWW results on the web

Every year thousends of HAMS spend a reasonable effort to attend on this event, but the postcontest of the CQ Magazine decreasing more and more! As mentioned above, certifications are missing over years! I was assigned two times into the wrong category, althrough all infos were correct, and can not realize it within one year...
For a lot of "little pistols" outside from the US, it would be great to have an opportunity to see how their effort was payed back!
I have no problem if the magazine will publish them first, and with three or four month delay, they publish it on the net.
It is just the event himself who makes it so special - forget the time after...
Posted by DL1CW on December 1, 2003

CQWW Results on the Web

Yes, of course but before that monster project, how about mailing certificates owed to the multitudes for contests from 1999 - 2001.

Ed N1UR
Posted by N1UR on December 1, 2003

CQWW results on the web

Over the years there have been many emails to the UK_Contesting reflector asking how to find the results. I still find it hard to get any information on the web, the "Expanded QRM" pdf is sometimes the only source of information. As for late certificates, well that's another story!

73 Mark G4AXX
www.granta.digital-crocus.com
Posted by G4AXX on December 1, 2003

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