The NAQP has been my favorite since it started. Why? Because it was
designed by "the private sector" (NCJ) to pick up the slack when the ARRL
committed a Great Crime Against Humanity by unceremoniously dumping my
original favorite contest, the CD Party.
So, I remember very well how it happened. I was on the NCJ staff at the
time.
It's an NA contest. Let the Europeans run all the power they want, they're
basically submitting check logs anyway, if they submit a log at all. I just
spun through Bruce's/Dinkleman's online numbers for January NAQP CW and
didn't see any EU scores. I think I worked two Europeans in the actual
contest. Somebody correct me if I missed the separate listing of the
"NON-NA" results. (I think I didn't).
The team idea was designed to get away from all the disagreement about club
membership requirements, club size, or club location. When this contest was
built, we were sick and tired of all that "paper club" nonsense. Everyone
thought it would be cool to just have a team where it didn't matter how many
meetings you attended or where you lived, or if there were the same number
of players on each team. In a very real sense, the NAQP teams can be "Dream
Teams." This was the vision. It has proven to be hotly contested - and
highly successful. I think the 5-op teams are just that and M2s would
introduce weirdness to Teams that should not be introduced. Besides, the
M2s have evolved into a great contest-within-a-contest all by themselves.
Now maybe if you limited an M2 to only 2 ops, that might be something ... !
High power? The original intent of the contest was to limit it to exciters
only. In fact, the rules were originally "250 watts" but they have been
honed to say "no amps" and "100 watts." This was carefully thought out and
nothing has happened which would change the creators' intent. No amps.
Seems simple (and quiet, eh OJ?).
Now for my piece of greatest resistance (how would you say THAT in french?):
I believe it is an unintended consequence of the NAQP design that now you
have to go outside the 48 states to win. Back in the good ol' days, you
didn't have guys flying to the Caribbean to win. Everything was cool. Now
the NAQP has become a hot item (a good thing) and we have the same loophole
FAILURE that the Sweepstakes suffers from, and that gets air time briefly
every year.
(by comparison, you won a CD party with 1200 QSOs in 20 hours).
Let me say before continuing that my hat is off to anyone who does what it
takes to win within the rules, so WP3R and ZF2NT (and everyone before them)
technically have my respect, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't fix the
rules to remove an obvious loophole. The problem is with the rules, not
those who choose to use them to advantage.
Without being inflammatory (my doctor has me on anti-inflammatories for this
very reason), let me make what I hope is a good argument:
Given 1: On this reflector we talk and talk and talk until we're blue about
who gets favored in what contest. Notably the NAQP discussion about west
coast, southeast, "black hole" (way-to-go-Pat) and all that. People talk
about this all the time, and whatever somebody says, somebody else argues
against it, and then a third person cites a litany of documented exceptions.
Interpretation 1: I think this means the contest in the continental US is
overall pretty fair. It's like guys talking about which team is their
favorite in the NFL. Pretty much every team has been at the top from time
to time, and everyone's opinionated, and we all have a good time yelling and
screaming at each other over a beer - then we all get on the air and do our
best.
Given 2: On the other hand, the discussion about "whether operating from the
Caribbean is fair or not" goes more like this: after the contest, a bunch of
guys all jump on the Prime Suspects, then the Prime Suspects post
well-argued rebuttal, then a couple pals of the Prime Suspects get on and
say things like "you know, it is possible to lose from the Caribbean" (duh)
and then somebody cites a case where one guy actually DID come in 2nd place
once, and then everyone goes back to the much more spirited debate about how
fair the CQWW is and how the West Coast guys are a bunch of wimps. Most of
the guys who came in 2nd-10th don't say anything, I suspect hoping to not
dignify the topic as being even credible. Instead you hear talk about the
"top-11" and "the real winner" off the reflector.
Interpretation 2: I think this means "we all know" that going to operate SS
or NAQP from the Caribbean is an advantage, which some think is not right,
essentially purchasing the victory (nomex on). (I know there are some
people who are not within my broad brush here).
Conclusion: Like I said, I think of this as an unintended consequence. I
think the fact that we have been going on and on about what region gets the
unfair advantage in what contest shows we like a lively debate. When we
talk about the Caribbean, it is less than a lively debate, and the
conclusion is the much less satisfying "it's not against the rules."
Whereas the SS is cast in stone Never To Be Changed (except for "multiplier
creep" and "category creep"), the NAQP is younger and is run by people (the
NCJ) who are considerably more flexible than the ARRL is. Therefore, the
one real change I would like to see in the NAQP is a closing of this
loophole. Details available upon request.
And now I think I'll regain my gentlemanly composure and fire up on 160
meters.
N5OT
PS Hats off also to Gary, formerly WA6VEF, for coming in 5th place in the
ARRL DX Contest (SOABHP) from California a couple decades ago. A legendary
feat.
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