May I suggest three zones: between Pacific Ocean and Rocky Mountains,
between Rocky Mountains and Mississippi River, and between Mississippi
River and Atlantic Ocean. Each coast will compete against itself and
the central "black hole" will not have to compete with either coast.
Not exactly level playing fields, but at least more level than they are now.
Dick
--
Dick Flanagan K7VC
dick@k7vc.com
On 7/2/2011 6:37 PM, Tom W8JI wrote:
> That's a very good point Mike. The USA is just too big. Maybe it needs
> divided into different top ten zones.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Mike Fatchett W0MU"<w0mu@w0mu.com>
> To:<cq-contest@contesting.com>
> Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2011 8:19 PM
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] ARRL DX "Leveling, Handicapping, Equalizing"
>
>
>> There is no reasonable way to level the playing field. Those of us in
>> the West compare our scores with those close to us with similar paths.
>> There is no way for a logging program to determine path, hops etc.
>> There are unique paths and openings that occur in every contest and they
>> are generally not country wide, at least in a country as large as the
>> USA, Russia, China or Australia.
>>
>> The large expanse of some countries is the real issue. Maybe the
>> results and scores need to be adjusted accordingly.
>>
>> The other issue which drives this leveling discussion it the amount of
>> competition coming from the USA.
>>
>> Those in the upper or lower latitudes have to deal with Aurora and
>> disturbances that generally affect these areas longer and harder in a
>> negative way vs those in the middle latitudes.
>>
>> Distance based scoring does little to really equalize the playing field
>> in a DX contest where there many paths which the signals could be coming
>> from.
>>
>> Life will never be fair and neither will radio contesting as there are
>> way too many variables involved.
>>
>> Mike W0MU
>>
>> On 7/1/2011 5:24 PM, Tom W8JI wrote:
>>> Any valid adjustment based on previous score data to level the field
>>> would
>>> require operators and antennas to be the same. There is a total lack of
>>> useful data to do anything based on previous scores, because stations and
>>> operators are not equal. Even if they were equal, the data base is too
>>> small.
>>>
>>> The only way to do anything meaningful to level would be propagation
>>> data,
>>> but again that depends on stations working correctly. It is painfully
>>> obvious that is lacking also, but it still world be far better than
>>> looking
>>> at previous scores.
>>>
>>> If we just want to allow underdogs a better chance to win, with no regard
>>> to
>>> creating equal chances, then a score based adjustment would work just
>>> fine.
>>> The old bracket race or golf handicap type of system applied to Ham
>>> radio.
>>>
>>> 73 Tom
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From:<w1md@cfl.rr.com>
>>> To:<cq-contest@contesting.com>
>>> Sent: Friday, July 01, 2011 10:25 AM
>>> Subject: [CQ-Contest] ARRL DX "Leveling, Handicapping, Equalizing"
>>>
>>>
>>>> So...the data is there...40+ years of it. Seems that it would be a
>>>> fairly
>>>> easy and straightforward process to use the results of previous years to
>>>> come up with a "leveling, handicapping, equalizing" factor that would
>>>> take
>>>> into account the vast majority of factors...including Distance,
>>>> Propagation, and those years where there were 'anomalies' that allowed a
>>>> station outside of W1-3 and VE1-3 to get into the top ten.
>>>>
>>>> Sorry about the formatting...this is just 9 years of data (2002-2010)
>>>> for
>>>> the SOHP category.
>>>>
>>>> 9 out of 90 stations came from areas other than W1-3 or VE1-3 or roughly
>>>> 10%
>>>> IN =3
>>>> VA = 2
>>>> CO = 1
>>>> STX = 1
>>>> WCF = 1
>>>> NM = 1
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 1 K5ZD (W4PA, op) 6,173,244 4,454 462 WMA 1 1 KT1V (NT1N, op) 6,226,974
>>>> 4,094 507 NH 1 1 K5ZD (W4PA, op) 6,588,960 4,240 518 WMA 1
>>>> 2 K1DG 5,629,746 4,027 466 NH 1 2 KQ2M 5,675,454 4,086 463 CT 1 2 N2NT
>>>> 6,343,305 4,187 505 NNJ 2
>>>> 3 AA1K 5,172,453 4,019 429 DE 3 3 VY2ZM (K1ZM, op) 5,490,114 3,902 469
>>>> MAR
>>>> 3 K3CR (LZ4AX, op) 5,060,160 3,514 480 WPA 3
>>>> 4 W9RE 5,063,502 3,898 433 IN 9 4 K1TO 5,480,952 4,042 452 WCF 4 4 KT1V
>>>> 4,946,856 3,782 436 NH 1
>>>> 5 K1ZZ 5,045,175 3,957 425 CT 1 5 K5ZD (W4PA, op) 5,458,815 4,089 445
>>>> WMA
>>>> 1 5 K3ZO 4,640,286 3,298 469 MDC 3
>>>> 6 N2IC 4,902,660 3,891 420 CO 0 6 N2NT 4,914,630 3,766 435 NNJ 2 6 W1WEF
>>>> 4,569,642 3,234 471 CT 1
>>>> 7 W1WEF 4,854,462 3,686 439 CT 1 7 AA1K 4,461,795 3,419 435 DE 3 7 N2LT
>>>> 4,361,880 3,260 446 NNJ 2
>>>> 8 K2UA 4,789,530 3,942 405 WNY 2 8 K3ZO 4,357,794 3,347 434 MDC 3 8 WC1M
>>>> 4,170,264 3,374 412 NH 1
>>>> 9 K5GN 4,628,520 3,588 430 STX 5 9 K2UA 4,212,600 3,304 425 WNY 2 9 KQ2M
>>>> 4,155,624 3,267 424 CT 1
>>>> 10 K3CR (LZ4AX, op) 4,446,192 3,376 439 WPA 3 10 VY2TT 4,043,034 3,186
>>>> 423
>>>> MAR 10 K1RM 4,120,200 3,052 450 CT 1
>>>> 2,002 2,003 2,004
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 1 VY2ZM (K1ZM, op) 5,382,234 3,978 451 MAR 1 N9RV 4,714,356 3,596 437 IN
>>>> 9
>>>> 1 VY2PA 4,863,075 3,925 413 MAR
>>>> 2 KQ2M 4,806,459 3,633 441 CT 1 2 N2NT 4,635,210 3,670 421 NNJ 2 2 N2NT
>>>> 4,026,048 3,226 416 NNJ 2
>>>> 3 N2NT 4,660,608 3,664 424 NNJ 2 3 K3CR (LZ4AX, op) 4,462,128 3,443 432
>>>> WPA 3 3 K3CR (LZ4AX, op) 3,445,200 2,900 396 WPA 3
>>>> 4 K3CR (LZ4AX, op) 4,366,941 3,331 437 WPA 3 4 AA1K 4,035,045 3,241 415
>>>> DE
>>>> 3 4 AA1K 3,315,510 2,805 394 DE 3
>>>> 5 AA1K 4,190,670 3,366 415 DE 3 5 VE3DZ 3,209,856 2,572 416 ON 5 K1ZZ
>>>> 3,128,625 2,781 375 CT 1
>>>> 6 K1ZZ 3,850,344 3,027 424 CT 1 6 VY2TT (K6LA, op) 3,198,555 2,755 387
>>>> MAR
>>>> 6 VY2TT 3,042,660 2,669 380 MAR
>>>> 7 K5ZD 3,782,652 3,121 404 WMA 1 7 W4RX (K0DQ, op) 3,175,326 2,607 406
>>>> VA
>>>> 4 7 VC3O (VE3AT, op) 2,793,168 2,282 408 ON
>>>> 8 W3GRF (K0DQ, op) 3,764,988 2,946 426 VA 4 8 K3ZO 3,165,855 2,741 385
>>>> MDC
>>>> 3 8 WC1M 2,766,510 2,605 354 NH 1
>>>> 9 N2LT 3,687,420 3,020 407 NNJ 2 9 VC3A (VE3AT, op) 3,107,160 2,520 411
>>>> ON
>>>> 9 VE3DZ 2,653,992 2,234 396 ON
>>>> 10 WC1M 3,634,536 3,044 398 NH 1 10 K1ZZ 3,103,290 2,523 410 CT 1 10
>>>> N2LT
>>>> 2,642,400 2,400 367 NNJ 2
>>>> 2,005 2,006 2,007
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> 1 K1KI 3,593,274 3,103 386 CT 1 1 VY2ZM (K0DQ, op) 4,892,940 4,006 410
>>>> MAR
>>>> 1 VY2ZM 5,549,292 4,656 399 MAR
>>>> 2 K3CR (LZ4AX, op) 3,557,358 3,137 378 WPA 3 2 NN3W (@ N3HBX) 4,066,260
>>>> 3,392 404 MDC 3 2 K3CR (LZ4AX, op) 5,514,120 4,362 424 WPA 3
>>>> 3 K1ZM 3,501,762 3,121 374 EMA 1 3 K3CR (LZ4AX, op) 3,868,128 3,186 407
>>>> WPA 3 3 VY2TT 5,218,695 4,557 387 MAR
>>>> 4 N2NT 3,381,240 2,966 380 NNJ 2 4 K5ZD (W1UE, op) 3,717,186 3,361 374
>>>> WMA
>>>> 1 4 K1RX 4,984,317 4,474 377 NH 1
>>>> 5 AA1K 2,985,831 2,757 361 DE 3 5 AA1K 3,637,740 3,235 380 DE 3 5 N2IC
>>>> 4,757,745 3,796 419 NM 5
>>>> 6 K1ZZ 2,851,785 2,495 381 CT 1 6 K1ZZ 3,634,962 3,150 386 CT 1 6 K1ZZ
>>>> 4,702,365 3,785 415 CT 1
>>>> 7 VC3E (VE3AT, op) 2,802,618 2,639 354 ON 7 WC1M 3,192,783 3,158 341 NH
>>>> 1
>>>> 7 K5ZD 4,586,838 3,972 386 WMA 1
>>>> 8 WC1M 2,515,032 2,687 312 NH 1 8 VY2TT (K6LA, op) 3,092,202 3,026 346
>>>> MAR
>>>> 8 W9RE 4,552,119 3,909 393 IN 9
>>>> 9 N2LT 2,277,330 2,266 335 NNJ 2 9 N2LT 2,933,856 2,692 366 NNJ 2 9 WC1M
>>>> 4,413,225 4,108 361 NH 1
>>>> 10 K3ZO 2,209,920 2,302 320 MDC 3 10 W1WEF 2,684,079 2,720 331 CT 1 10
>>>> VX3AT (VE3AT, op) 4,398,198 3,639 406 ON
>>>> 2,008 2,009 2,010
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> W1MD
>>>>
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