"Dan/W4NTI" w4nti@get rid of this mindspring.com wrote in message link.net...
"Steve Robeson K4CAP" wrote in message
...
Subject: Morse and Contests
From: Mike Coslo
Date: 4/27/2004 7:34 AM Central Standard Time
Message-id:

Idly musing, I thought of this a few moments ago. It isn't a CW testing

question, but is related by being a CW operating question.

With the likely demise of Morse code testing, is there any reason to
have contests give double the points for Morse code contacts?

Sure...why not? It requires some REAL skill to do. In this regard,
as in
any other pursuit in life, greater skill should be rewarded.

While of course all contest rules are inherently arbitrary, does it
make sense to have one mode of contact be "more equal" than others?

Not "more equal"...Just better compensation.

As a Nurse with my experience, credentials and skills, I expect to be
compensated accordiningly. So why not be "compensated" in a contest that
required using honed skills, too...?!?!

Put another way, if you think that CW contacts should be worth double
points, is it fair to have say, PSK31 contacts worth the same double
points such as in Field day? Our GOTA station racked up a fair number of
points operating PSK31, and it was certainly no more difficult than
operating Phone.

And how long would it take a "new" Ham to master using a keyboard?

I've seen a number of cases where a phone operator has worked hard and
logged a lot of QSO's, only to be beaten by a CW op with little more
than half that number.

Shudda been on the paddles!

Seriously, though...Most contests differentiatemodes in awards...

Steve, K4YZ





Simply stated....CW Contesting requires real skills. Digital requires the
ability to type.
Phone is way down there from the above requirements.

If you want to do so....Give phone 1 point, digital 2 points, and CW 5
points per qso.

That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

Dan/W4NTI

Your opinion looks wrong to me.

My opinion is that the point schedule should be inverted from what you
propose. I mean, when Aaron Jones was keeping the Morse Myths list,
it would appear that a CW QSO just couldn't fail. It always got
through, no matter the propogation, the power level, the QRN, or the
QRM. Each and every Op would QRS for the new guy and everything was
just so wonderful.

Meanwhile phone Ops practice dog-eat-dog, QRM each other, use bad
phonetics, and propogation is always iffy. Furthermore, they marry
their Technician sisters and don't even QSL.

Bass turds!

Give the phone ops 5 pts per completed QSO, the CW Ops get 1.