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Speak Out: When is the contest over?

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WB4QNG on 2003-06-08
Last weekend I spent 36hrs on the radio and made 1000 cantacts. I decided not to log them but recorded every minute. I spent Monday thru Thursday listening to the tape and logging my contacts. I no longer have a job, wife or kids. Wonder what went wrong.

WB4QNG on 2003-06-08
Of course it is wrong. The exact second the contest states is when you quit everything. The problem I see is the clocks. If you have an atomic clock then this would be correct. If you are relying on your watch it could be seconds or even a couple of minutes off. If this is true then you are taking advantage of the situation. I know myself I have heard stations calling CQ a good minute after the contest was over. I think their names and calls should be posted. As for as logs go of course it is over the time the contest is over. I think my biggest question is how much money do you guys win in these contest. I do it for my own self sastisfaction. With my 100 watts and attic antennas I don't expect to win but its still fun

Anonymous on 2003-05-28
Obviously the Type-A personalities are drawn to contesting and they bring their 'A-ness' with them. I'm one of those guys but I still have fun.

Anonymous on 2003-05-26
What is the objective of the contest? Is is accuracy? Is is expediency? Does it say in the rules that everything from operating to logging ends at the bell? If so then I say submit your logs before the contest is actually over otherwise you're cheating. If not, then have fun and do what you have to do to get your logs in on time. Who wrote the book on the spirit of contesting? Does that say you must put your "pencils" down at the bell?
Me thinks people are taking this way too far and making it less fun for those of us who enjoy an occasional contest. If you're entire life is contesting...well...I don't want to play with you. IT'S ONLY A CONTEST!!!!

Anonymous on 2003-05-25
The contest is NEVER over.

Anonymous on 2003-05-23
I thought checking over a log was normal. I cpmpare my written notes with my computer. Other than that I'm ready to move on. After 48 hours in a contest, I wouldn't even want to listen to a recording of it. I'd be more worried about people operating on freq's their not licensed for and I always wonder how many unassisted ops do a quick check of spots to see who's where or maybe find a spot for a needed mult. I try ro improve my score, so if I cheated, I would be cheating myself.

ZF2NT on 2003-05-18
During the November-April contest season I find I'm doing a contest practically every weekend. That means I have absolutely zero interest in spending more time fiddling with logs during the week. I do just what N4ZR mentioned: after the contest is over, I go through my note file and fix up all the stuff I noted wrong as the contest was going on. Then I quickly ship the mother out and start planning for the next weekend's contest! Yes, every LCR I get back shows some obvious typos I probably would have caught by a careful screening of the log, but so what? I'd rather spend my time improving skill by doing more contests than by searching thousands of lines of log looking for typos.

Anonymous on 2003-05-17
Before there were computers, it was common to rewrite the log before submitting it. Proofread your log, correct the mistakes, and submit it when you have it right. The contacts you make during the contest are those you make, the log editing can continue afterward. You can also use time before the contest to prepare your station or yourself for the contest just as you can use time after the contest to prepare the log.

Anonymous on 2003-05-10
The contest should end when it finishes, everything should be made during the contests period and not later, as it happens in real life.
Practically speaking, a contest is over when no time to do anything with it is left, in other words when logs are mailed.
This is the only possible "plain field".

Anonymous on 2003-05-10
Excuses... excuses... excuses...
Everybody knows that logs are well massaged, screened, corrected, adjusted...
Everything is done well over the contest limit, practically until the last second od the submission deadline.
Do we like it?
All considered the answer is probably NO.
Do we stop doing it?
The answer is definitely NO because not to do equals a scoring sucide.

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