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Equalizing Contesting Efforts
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by W0YR on May 14, 2004
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Station W3XXX contests from PA and consistently exceeds 2-million points in the major contests as SOAB L unassisted. He now moves to Missouri with precisedly same equpt and comparable location (topographically) and can barely rack up 1.8-million. No chance to make Top Ten box. What's fair about that? In this day advanced software and fast computers, why can't contest committees figure out how to level the playing field? Shouldn't scores be based solely on station technical performance and operator skills? How hard is it to work EU from Maine? How hard is it to work EU from Kansas?
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RE: Equalizing Contesting Efforts
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by N0FP on May 16, 2004
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I have pondered this issue at great length--studied it for years actually. The fact is, geography does play a significant role in your score.
Take a look at the latest QST article describing the 160M contest results. I wrote that article. About 1/2 way through, you will see a table that describes the top scores from each area of the country for 7 years. Clearly, the NE US has a geographical advantage in this contest. The West Coast has a clear disadvantage in the same contest.
Nobody has devised a way to level this playing field. With different sets of propagation conditions in play, the final results could be considerably different. That's part of the magic of contesting. And your point that geography plays a significant role is also the reason I tend to favor contests that describe results by geography. In this way, I can at least compete head-to-head with others in my area that are equally disadvantaged.
One scheme I've heard more than once would 'normalize' everybody's score to the top results for that area. This would establish a handicap of sorts. Unfortunately, the folks that live in the advantaged areas would find themselves no longer able to make top ten and would cry 'foul.'
So, we play the same as we've always played.
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RE: Equalizing Contesting Efforts
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by OK1RI on June 22, 2004
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On this one is the only point - compete with yourselves or stations in your area - make your own top-list. It is same here over the pond. How can we compete with someone way south or way west ??? He works stations which I let's say with bigger antennas even do not hear ????
Someone with small station even LP residing in MA or FL is going to be most of the time way stronger than for instance W0AIH or K0RF!
73 !
Jiri
OK1RI
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RE: Equalizing Contesting Efforts
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by oe5oho on July 2, 2004
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Jiri states it: it makes no sense to compare your score with the "big guys at the top" for all aspects one can think of (also in a few cases it does). How many times will the top scorer not be in your part of the world? Therefore one has to look at a rather local group of hams competing in the same class. And as even this small group probably has totally different euqipment (ants, rigs, qth, etc) a one-to-one comparsion makes no real sense. The best thing then probably is - assuming that not much will change in the case of geographical dis/advantages - to just look closer on your own scores! Did I do better than last time? If yes, why? If no, why not? If you are lucky and are in the right location you don�t have to worry about winning it ;-) 73 Oliver.
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