Contesting Online Survey

Survey Question Current Survey Question

Do you plan to enter the CQ WW DX Contest?
Recent Surveys

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?
2021-10-27

Randy, K5ZD, wrote a sidebar titled " Convergence and Change" in the 2015 CQWW CW printed results in CQ magazine. He wrote that the "convergence of personal computers, Internet access, DX clusters, and CW Skimmer have changed the nature of CW contesting". He goes to say that it is "more difficult to police the line between the single operator working alone and those who are using the assistance of DX spotting." In light of this convergence and change is it time to recombine SO and SOA into a single category?
2016-05-28

What's your primary Software for HF Contests ? ( no VHF/UHF ! )
2015-07-17

Are you ready the this year's winter contest season
2015-07-05

What ways have you found to be effective to attract newcomers to our hobby?
2015-04-28

View All Survey Questions
Have a good idea for a Contesting Online Survey question?
Enter your idea!

If there was a 24 hour category in the CQWW DX and ARRL DX contests where you could choose your hours of participate and the time-off interval was no less than 30 minutes would you enter this category?
Posted: Apr 02, 2013 (337 votes, 22 comments) by VE5ZX

yes
no
maybe
don't care
don't know
(337 votes, 22 comments)

Survey Results

yes 61% (206)

no 19% (63)

maybe 16% (54)

don't care 3% (10)

don't know 1% (4)

Survey Comments

24 hour category

With the open logs of WWDX 2006 the op-times could be calculated. Looking at single-ops in allband-categories there were 90 percent in SSB and 80 percent in CW who operated 24 hours or less. 60 resp. 50 percent operated 12 hours of less. Figures at the lower half of http://www.dl8mbs.de/40984/45289.html

So at least there would not much activity being lost with a 24-hour-category - when the majority already now operates below that limit. As much as I enjoy the endurance component of the long distance when I have time for it I donÂ´t buy in the watering down argument about half-distances. Marathon-running as watering down super-marathon of 76km? With that argument a 100-m-runner is less an athlete than the 400m-runner. But a big contest need all - not only the 135 tough SSB-ops going longer than 30 hours.
Offering only 48 hours with this figures about time budget is kind of a car manufacturer only selling his top-model without regard to the financial budget of the majority. And the top-model will everr remain the top-model - as an ultimative goal.
73, Chris

(www.dl8mbs.de)
Posted by dl8mbs on July 27, 2007

24 hr category

We're amateurs, it's our contest so why not have another category?
Posted by g4mkp on July 26, 2007

Great idea!

Not everyone can always commit full 48-hours. If one cannot go full 48 then 12 (or 24) is better then just giving away few point here and there. It will increase a competitiveness of many participants, which is only good for the whole contest.

Anyway, to choose the right 12 (24) hours out of 48 might open new dimension in contest strategy. I'm sure it could be very exciting.
Posted by vk2aea on July 9, 2007

24 or even 12 hour category!

Operating full 48 hours, 36, or even 24, is not an option for many of us. So, I am all for having a shorter time category along with the full weekend participation.

I believe classes of, say, 48/12 hours actually make more sense than high/low power. For one, this is likely to attracta a larger number of hams to enter to compete. With a shorter contesting period the operator has to rely increasingly on his knowledge of propagation and plan accordingly. After all, contesting should to a large degree reward skills and experience.

Yes - let us keep the full 48 hour class for those who are able to devote a whole weekend to contesting. But let us also create a partition for those who do not have that option, but want to compete within a shorter time span.
Posted by TF3KX on April 7, 2007

24 Hours Category

I think it is a great idea...To me it's not a question of whether one is "able" to operate 48 hours as much as whether one "wants" to devote 48 hours. For me it would be nice to go to church on Sunday and spend some time with the family at meal time but still have a competitive category to compete in. I don't see it as a "dilution" because those of us who don't "want" to spend 48 hours contesting don't do it anyway. Having this category might actually spur activity...get some who might only spend 15 hours to operate for 24...Is the glass half full or half empty? Looks like the vote is heavily weighted toward "yes" for the 24 hour category. 73
Posted by N4CC on March 28, 2007

to do or not

i think i would like to work any and all contest so if it is as now or a new one lets do as many as every one wants not cut or ruin any for someone just because they can't go all the way.
Posted by kd4exy on March 26, 2007

24 hour category

This is concern with creating a sub-contest within a contest: making more available categories to enter will lead to less competition within each category due to lower number of entrants (unless it generates more entrants to compensate that), likely to cause periods of low activity. Whatever the contest time window is (48/36/24 hrs etc) should be the same for all entrants.

Posted by vk2imm on March 20, 2007

Decisions?

Ed,

I wasn't aware that I made a decision. We each have the right to a $.02 opinion, don't we?

Jim
W0UO
Posted by w0uo on March 14, 2007

Survey Comments

"Is this an endurance test or a test of operator skill?"

Both. Last I checked, Amateur Radio Contests have always been about both. To some, the 12 hour NAQP is an endurance test. Luckily for you...its not.

Do we expect DXpeditions to accomodate our schedule as well? Oh wait, for some of us, we do. I guess the fun of getting up in the middle of the night to "snag a new one" is not something some of you have done. To me, it is the "magic of ham radio DXing" just like the 48 hour stint is to contesting.

If you are too busy doing remodelling or working or tending to your children...great for you. Just don't make your choice for the rest of us.

Thank you and have fun

Ed N1UR
Posted by N1UR on March 14, 2007

I have been in the Gulf three times this winter reconditioning houses. It takes me from 5 to 7 days to recover from each trip. I am getting old and gray. Many of us can remember when the ARRL DX Tests were two weekends, 48 hours each, for each mode. Shortening the contest to one weekend didn't diminish its popularity one bit. Making a similar reduction to 24, or for that matter 36 hours, will not hurt its popularity. After all, is this an endurance test or a test of operator skill?

Jim
WØUO
Posted by w0uo on March 14, 2007

24 Hour category

One of the reasons contesting is promoted is that it can simulate the harsh conditions found during times of emergency. Improving operating skills and endurance are part of it. In recent times, the tsunami in Asia and Hurricane Katrina in the US Gulf Coast left operators without the option of quitting after just 24 hours. Instead of asking how we can better tailor contests to fit our convenient schedules, perhaps we should be trying to better prepare ourselves for possible hard times ahead. And for those who only want to work 24 hours or less, there are already categories for this: the single band categories.
Posted by VE6CNU on March 12, 2007

24 Hour Category

I think this is a good idea. In these busy days of our culture (and operating SO), it is next to impossible to contest for a 24 hour period. As much as I like Ham Radio, there are other responsibilities to which I must give time.

It is not really about winning, it IS about responsible use of time.

Great idea!
Posted by W4OJC on March 12, 2007

24 hour category

This idea is good for SO. For those who have no full weekend off. For them it should be a good opportunity to be on the air at their time. For others, it will remain as usual : to do everything to stay behind the radio not asleep !
Posted by F6FYA on March 10, 2007

24 Hour Category

VE6EX is right. A contest is a test of a man and his machine vs other men and their machines. Like a lot of other little pistol contesters I enter to have fun, collect some new countries, give out points to others and once and a while actually be competitive. If I wish to enter a contest and want to be really competitive I must be prepared to make the sacrifices that are necessary. If it means missing meals, sleep etc. so be it.
See you in the pileups (I'm the S2 signal from VE7 land) HI HI
Don't water down the contests.
Posted by VA7TT on March 9, 2007

24 Hour Category

I havent worked the maxium hours in a contest since i became licensed, so why worry about making it a category.
Posted by wd5jnc on March 8, 2007

I would definitely consider entering the category, should it exist, and that was the question afterall. But if the question were worded, "Should there be a 24-hour category?", I'm not so sure. The unintended consequences might outweigh the benefit.

For example, there's going to be slow periods where operators in certains parts of the world just won't be on because it will cut into their ontime. This would be detrimental, IMO, to the overall contest which currently relies on the less popular hours still being productive.

Still, it's an interesting idea as the contesting world ages...
Posted by N2MG on March 7, 2007

Yes.

It sure would entice me to operate these contests.
Posted by AD6WL on March 5, 2007

Its Contesting

Its Contesting. Its not Geritol. You can look at as a problem or an opportunity.

If all of the people who like to complain that they can't go 36 plus hours, used it as incentive to do so, they might feel better about a lot of other things more than contesting.

If you don't like to "go the distance" stick to the ones that don't require it...or have fun with who you are and what you like to do. Don't water it down for the rest of us...thank you.
Posted by N1UR on March 5, 2007

24 Hour category

What ve6ex said! Keep contests as CONTESTS. If you want Contesting Lite, make it a separate event....wait, we have them too!
There, problem solved.
Posted by W7IBI on March 2, 2007

24 hour category

I like this idea. Many of us can't give up a whole weekend to operate, so this category would be nice. There would also be a strategy as what times you used for your on times, adding a little strategy to the mix.
Posted by kc5r on March 2, 2007

Leave it alone...

Don't mess with the dx contests. They're perfect as they are, and are supposed to be a contest, not a casual power show. If you get beat by a teenager who goes for broke and you break after a few hours, do a casual effort and accept the obvious. If yer' not getting faster be happy with being slower and keep calling CQ. Thats what I do, and stay in the chair longer...
Posted by ve6ex on March 2, 2007

24 Hour category

24 hours is a lot closer to my maximum endurance anyway. Heck, in a few more years maybe 12 hours will look like a good category.
Posted by k3vx on March 1, 2007

To post a comment, you must be logged in.
If you are not a member, become one now!