ONLY COMMENT EVER TO BE SENT FROM W0UN ON EQUALIZING SCORES!!
I, too, am tired of any discussion that attempts to equalize everything. It
is impossible to accomplish due to propagation that varies not only from
place to place but also from year to year. The most favored place isn't
always the first call area. (W0UN--W0UA operating--set the US record on
10M in the ARRL DX contest in 1992 on both modes!! In can happen, when
everything goes just right. And, boy, does it feel good when it happens
without the aid of an "equalizing factor". We made our own factor from
aluminum-- a total of 48 elements on 10 meters.)
I agree that personal achievement is the most important thing. Most operators
in the contests will never win their country or even their call area. They
are operating for the fun of it and for the joy of becoming better operators
with practice.
But I think the discussion has missed the point (or I missed reading it
in all of the discussion). Improvements in personal skills are more difficult
to measure from year to year than they need be. Any given operator never is
sure whether his score improves from year to year due to improvements in
his skill level or to changes in propagation or to station improvements. A
system of rankings for the purpose of gauging one's own improvement (or
the other way, as old age sets in) could be quite useful for those who
are trying to understand their personal achievement. BUT DON'T CHANGE
ANY OF THE CONTESTS!
A geographically-based ranking utilizing the expanding grid square concept
with either similarly equipped stations in each category or some factor
to "equalize" the scores is a great idea for anyone WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE
IN SUCH A PROGRAM. It would provide a better gauge to measure individual
skills. A voluntary program like the "uniques analysis" would provide
the mechanism for people to benchmark their skill level against anyone
else who wanted to be included.
SO, IN CONCLUSION, LEAVE THE CONTESTS ALONE, and for those who really want
to compare their scores with like-minded people who are similarly equiped and
similarly located, let them set up such a system for their own edification.
Here on internet or in NCJ or in any medium that they so desire. JUST DON'T
TRY TO CHANGE THE CONTESTS to "equalize" everybody. This will only result
to the equivalent of the dumbing down of America that is happening in the
schools, and it would remove any incentive for me to build really big
antennas!!
This is the only E-mail message on this subject that will ever originate
from here!!
73 John W0UN broz@csn.org
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