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

no one said they should only be short contests. For many, a 48H contest is impractical. It fits a tiny slice of the ham contesting population.
And the rise of the 1H and 4H contest is real. and is popular. Use the data to draw some conclusions. and adapt. .

 

The adaptation for people with life conflicts is non-participation. Some longer contests have had window limitations (X hours during the longer contest). Does anyone ever work an entire 48 hour contest unassisted? My point was that the longer contest provides the opportunity for those with other commitments to participate (visitation, non-day shift or weekend work schedules, etc). Of course those of us who do not want to sit through an entire contest period (for whatever reason), will likely miss some multipliers, but I would rather encourage broader participation than let FOMO narrow the participation base.

 

I’m 45, been licensed 3 years, and have bailed bc of the length of contests. Yes, 48 hours gives a wider window, but there’s no payoff. Just a bunch of metrics that can’t be compared to others bc everyone operated a random amount of time.

I understand contesting is a competition against yourself, but sooner or later the only way to increase your score is to sit in the chair longer. Something those of us with time restrictions already can’t do.

The CW open format is excellent. Three 4 hour blocks. Hop on one or all three. Most people operate the full block, so you actually know how you stack up vs your peers, can set goals based on that, etc.

Unfortunately it’s only once a year.

 

I did single band 75M in the ARRL contest and had a decent score in six hours of operating.
The conditions went band and didn't find anything to work in the lasth our of the contest.
I worked fifty countries in six hours.

 

I like the trend of contests limiting power to 100 Watts. Having the bands filled up with Mega Sations operating the "max" legal limit creates problems. With the old saying "you can't work them if you can't hear them," being taken into consideration, us moderate station folks running wires and 100 watts hear the Mega Sations fine, but we will never reach them. Field Day changed to 100 Watts a few years ago and it is much more enjoyable now. Instead of a dozen stations taking up a band, we can now hear many stations on a band. I think most contesters have enjoyed the change. Other contests have set a 100-watt limit. Now, if we can just get people to observe it.

Since there is nothing of value awarded for winning a contest, lets even the playing field with the 100 watt limits. Other contests have added the TB-wires category for those of us who do not have a few $100,000 to invest in an antenna farm. This is nice. I think if you have one of these mega antenna farms, you can do well with 100 watts. The folks in Europe do not need to hear all the Field Day activity. Reaching the entire NA & SA continent with 1500 watts and 200-foot towers is not a challenge.

My goal each year is to do better than last year. I have myself to compete with.

A contest I think needs to be changed are the Sprints. I can't get into them because half the people do not understand how to operate in them. You either get the operator that camps out and doesn't;t understand the rule and wants to argue about it, or you get the operator that responds then does not stay on the frequency. It waste a lot of time and these contests are short. I can't get into FT* for any contest. No skill needed for those.

What has made contesting more interesting for me was joining a state contest group. That has encouraged me more than anything. I now cook the numbers for ours and that is a lot of work.

Using the Internet to track immediate contest reporting and results only goes to satisfy the younger crowd that needs immediate gratification. We don't need anymore of that, please. Sit back, relax, and enjoy a contest.

 

I like your view. I have always viewed it more as a contact flea market. It concentrates opportunities for places you need for DXCC or WAS. The year over year angle is a good one.
Patrick KV4MO

 

Yes, I don't contest because location makes a huge difference. Florida specifically and the entire east coast has a major advantage for working foreign countries as so many smaller ones are the same distance from them as Maine is from Arizona. When we call CQ in Arizona most of the time we get eastern USA at best. So the ratings should be based on your location because of propagation from the western USA is not as favorable for foreign countries. Japan is a single country and it does reach the eastern USA frequently.

 

I agree that location makes a difference. No way that we hams in the propagation black-hole of AZ can compete with the east coast in a DX contest.

But unless you're the type of person that's 'in it to win it' and won't participate in a contest if you have no realistic chance of winning, why not do it anyway? There are so many other goals and personal achievements you could aspire to if it's something you might enjoy operating.

 

Seems to me contests are doing pretty well...

 

Ham radio needs to be more like twitch gaming LoL! No. Have you seen those guys?

 

Interesting! I'd say that gives manufacturers the incentive to keep producing new and better radios.

 

The idea of "gamifying" any part of ham radio kind of makes me want to puke. Just my opinion.

 

The idea makes me LOL. However, I would not worry about losing the contents of your stomach…

As I stated previously, I predict the established contest community will have ZERO interest in any video gaming contests.

 

I am EXTREMELY alarmed that the CEO of the ARRL ,NA2AA, is giving a forum at Hamvention on --'GAMING'--

He has re-named 'contesting' to 'GAMING'!

Contesting is 'radiosport'-- NOT GAMING.

Here is the definition (s) of GAMING:

gam·ing
[ˈɡāmiNG]
noun

1. the action or practice of playing video games:
   "I'm fourteen years old and enjoy gaming and playing baseball" · "smooth animations and tastefully designed graphics make for an effortless gaming experience"
2. the action or practice of playing gambling games:
   "gaming is evident everywhere in Las Vegas, not just on the Strip" · "US states are already moving to regulate online gaming" · "thousands of people flock to these gaming establishments every year"

WHY is the ARRL misleading us and others on 'GAMING'???

Should we be placing bets on winners? Part 97 prohinits such activities.

??????????

 

I wholeheartedly agree with you. But isn't that what Kyle AA0Z proposed on his video...make contesting 'real time', like a 'gaming' scenario? You're not seeing this post because you have me on your 'Ignore' list.