Do Contests Need to Change? Kyle Krieg AA0Z Makes His Case

In my bandplan is nothing written that 14.300 is not allowed to use for normal use. It's only marked as activity center for emergency. And there is the meaning to hold that frequency free when a big disaster is going on like the big tsunami, years ago. I don't know if I really would trust a freaky amateur radio community when it's a question of life or death. I would use a alternative way to communicate and a modern country like USA surely has many other, more confident possibilities. Amateur radio is not a 100% thing. It's experimental and nothing more.

73 Manfred, HB9FLU

 

"Plug and Play" + $10k or $15k for starters...

Some people don't have that kind of $ to splurge on a hobby, or have more worthy things to do with it, like giving to charity, helping friends and family, saving for retirement or a medical emergency, etc.

Have a QSO with someone in Ukraine or Vietnam or other less affluent place and you may discover that they may be working with all homebrew equipment, and just a paper log. Not every ham is an affluent American.

Ham radio has become a rich man's hobby - which it never was supposed to be.

 

99.999% of the time 14.300 is just used as a 'radio check', or someone in a boat who wants to log a contact, or someone who just checks in to say hello and get a signal report.


Moaning about 14.300 is IMO 'much ado about nothing'.

 

It was pretty expensive in the early days.
Katashi KH6IJ spent four months pay on his FB-7 receiver!

There was a lot of cheap World War II surplus but Radio Row in NYC was gone by the time I made it to the Eastern USA.

 

If you wanted to buy decent new equipment it was relatively expensive. Homebrew and used, not so much. Take a look at QST articles from the 1930's - lots of articles about homebrew gear and cheap wire antennas.

 

Isn't it still inexpensive to build a 40M direct conversion receiver, half wave dipole fed with RG-6 coax, and a QRP CW transmitter?

Interference from big shortwave AM broadcast stations is negligible compared to what it was when I first became a ham.

 

I will first admit this interview went on a bit too long and I didn't finish it. But it did get me to thinking about contesting. I am a casual contester, and I like the thrill of S&P and still getting up the nerve to do more Running, but one point that Kyle made is very valid. That is "It takes way too long to find out your score" By the time I submit my score I do it so others get the correlation, but I never go back to see how I did - once the contest is over, I move on.

I think the one thing that would make contesting so much more fun is instant feedback. The contest should have an active web site that is getting real-time feed from participants. This could be built into N1MM and other contesting loggers, and the back-end server is not that difficult (I know I have built back-end systems). Then during the contest, you can see in real-time how you are doing and track your progress. That would be so cool. And no need to change any rules! And when the contest is over, like in any other sport, you will know how you did in the event.

 

Certainly. That was my whole point. For this "plug and play" remote that AA0Z is talking about, you need to spend big bucks and have A LOT more than "a 40M direct conversion receiver, half wave dipole fed with RG-6 coax, and a QRP CW transmitter"

 

SSB contest for the SSB ops, CW contest for the CW op and digital contest for the digital ops...No way to include FT8 in any contest together with the other and be fair... Awards should be awarded the same way...Hal/WB4AEG

 

I for one have no interest in what is being proposed in the interview/video in question. Instead, I say, have it and make your own internet “gamer ham” contests. I have no problem being excluded from such a thing, because I have ZERO interest in it.

But, that is not what is being proposed. This guy wants to change existing contests. Why?

Make up your own contests and leave the existing ones alone. Many of us like them just the way they are.

So again, I suggest to the OM, do the leg work, put in the effort, do your own “grass rooting” and have a blast playing gamer ham contests to your heart’s content that you and those that like that kind of stuff create and play in.

And I will do exactly what you suggest Camo Bear and not participate in such an endeavor.

See…..simple, issue resolved.

But, that is not what that guy wants…..

 

This is exceedingly simple, and not difficult at all to implement. Kyle, and those who desire something different, and are certain that
ideas are a new way a better way, should:
Start their own contest. It's as simple as that. I ran the PAQSO Party for around 14 years. One of the things I received was advice, from well meaning people. Often opposite to each other advice. Over time, I implemented some changes like the addition of digital modes and spotting.
But as the director, I set the rules. Mr Krieg should simply start his own contest, and he will set the rules. If his ideas are the way forward, other contests will follow suit.
I'll just note for completeness that there is a world of difference between participating in contests, and adjudicating them.
- 73 Mike N3LI -

 

Agreed. Contests are not a homogenous mass of unified actions. And that is what makes them interesting. Different classes, different actions, and all what the contest sponsor wanted it to be. I adjudicated the PAQSO Party for many years. Some of the advice I got was to make it like other parties. A few times even advice that was contradicting other advice. Or advice that made an advantage for particular operators, or caused problems with scoring or classes. If a person was adamant about making changes, I would invite them to help administer the party. Interestingly, no one ever continued with their criticism.

But the great thing about contests in my estimation, is that they are not all tied to one set of rules. And people are free to start and implement a contest of their own if they wish. If others are interested, their contest will do FB.

 

I won the PA QSO party, Out of State, by taking advantage of the QRP multiplier written into the rules, with a modest 2nd floor apartment station!
I figured that out of state entries are limited by the number of PA stations they can find.
Which means they can't find enough stations to overcome the advantage the rules gave me by operating QRP!

It helped that I operated times from Philly, so I knew all about making a big score!

 

" Imagine ham radio without the internet. Without QRZ, QTH, ARRL online, youtube videos. Yes, infact, some of us CAN imagine that because it was 30 years ago... we remember it well for those of us in the hobby for 4, 5, 6 decades. But then we also remember what the PC did to ham radio. What the interenet did to ham radio. What cellphones did to ham radio. ... "

You are conflating the positive functions of the internet as it pertains to this hobby with the physical need of the internet while being in a contest. No one as I read these comments derided or expressed a negative opinion on the internet per se, just on its real time need during a contest. As many have expressed in their comments, no one is stopping anyone from creating a new contest with its own rules and needs. Take the example of the wildly appreciated and used POTA program that has organically grown over the past 2 years and do the same for any new contest that you or anyone else will come up with.

 

Maybe I misunderstand your point, but there *is* a website with instant feedback of real time scores to see how you compare with others. It’s called the Online Scoreboard. Usually, the ones really interested in using it are the big guns in the same category that are in it to win it, or have a goal to place high in the standings. It gives them the incentive to alter their strategy, maybe going for more mults to jump ahead of their closest rival(s) in a close race. I don’t see it having much use for casual contesters.

And remember, these are only raw scores before log checking. Positions can change with the final tabulation. Major contests usually post raw scores on their websites after a week or so after the contests end. Your logging program gives you the real time raw score of how *you* are doing, so you can compare to how you did in previous years or trying to reach a personal goal. Plus, you can always post your final score to 3830scores.com and compare your final raw score to others that also posted there. Most active contesters use 3830. Or they should.