[MiQP-Mail] Increase activity

David Pruett k8cc at comcast.net
Mon Apr 24 22:45:22 CDT 2006


Steve,

Let me address your points.

For many years, MRRC awarded non-MI single-op certficates based purely on 
the basis of national finish.  The top five high power, low power, and QRP 
entries got certificates.  The committee discussed this a couple of years 
ago and came to the conclusion that awarding a certificate for each 
geographical entity (state/province) would be more meaningful to the 
participants.  It also meant we would be awarding more certificates (as 
many as 62, vs 15 before) which, while it increased cost and work, we saw 
as a good thing.

However, your vision of awarding a certificate and that of the MiQP 
committee may be somewhat different.  Your comments would seem to indicate 
that you deserve and award because you got on the air and made 
QSOs.  That's all well and good, but our view is that certificates signify 
accomplishment, and our reason for awarding them is to increase 
activity.  The committee's feeling is that giving a certificate for someone 
making three QSOs, for example, is silly.  25 is the number we settled on 
as a meaningful threshold.  Our thinking is that if someone tunes the bands 
and hears MiQP on, he might just make a few QSOs.  If he makes more than 
just a few (i.e., 25) he get's a certificate.  We don't think this is too 
much of an expectation - when conditions are good I'll bet a non-MI entry 
could make those 25 QSOs in an hour, providing the op is willing to search 
the bands and operate both modes (another MiQP committee goal).  If condx 
are poor (as they were last weekend), we'll concede it would take longer...

In looking at your log, you operated about five hours of the contest.  Your 
soapbox comments indicate you lost about six hours to thunderstorms - 
bummer.  You had QSOs at the start, and near the end so you weren't 
somebody who just tuned by for a few minutes.  However, all your QSOs were 
on SSB; if you would have spent even a few minutes on CW I'm sure you could 
have found the three extra QSOs with little difficulty.  I know; I spent 
most of my time on 40 CW at K8MQP and would have loved to have had you come 
by and answer one of my several hundred unproductive CQs :-)

My point here is not to try to tell you how to operate, but to explain the 
philosophy behind the certificate process.  I agree that its a bummer to 
spend five hours in the chair and come up three QSOs shy of a 
certificate.  But the threshold for achievement was known going in.  While 
you had no way of predicting how the thunderstorms would disrupt your 
operating, there *was* a wat (i.e., CW) that the goal could have been achieved.

73,

Dave




At 10:17 PM 4/21/2006, n0wy at alltel.net wrote:
>Allow me to set forth one of my gripes as an out-of-state contester.  I 
>have sent in MQP logs since 1998, only missing 1999 and 2000.  In 5 of 
>those I was the top (or only) operator from the state of Nebraska.  In 
>1998 I made 18 contacts and got a certificate.  I have not received one 
>since.  2002 I made 51 contacts, 2003 was 53, 2004 was 31 and 2005 was 21 
>(recognize the propagation leaving?).  This year I made 22.  Will I get a 
>certificate?  Probably not - because on the awards page there is a 
>restriction that says an out of state operator must have 25 contacts to 
>earn a certificate.  Tell you all what - the one in Michigan that makes 
>the most contacts in the Nebraska QSO party starting Saturday at 1800z 
>will get a certificate - no matter how many contacts they get.
>
>73 and hope to hear you on the air!
>
>Steve N0WY
>Scoring Manger Nebraska QSO Party




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